Gulfstream: Stonetastic takes another crack at G3 Sugar Swirl; G3 Harlan’s Holiday Preview

By David Joseph —-

Stonetastic takes another crack at Sugar Swirl
Grade 3 might be swan song for 5-year-old

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — Trainer Kelly Breen has mixed emotions about running multiple graded stakes winner Stonetastic in Saturday’s $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

On one hand, the 5-year-old is the horse to beat in the sprint race for fillies and mares. On the other, the Sugar Swirl could be the mare’s last race before starting her next career.

“For me it’s very bittersweet that this may be her last race before she goes off to her breeding career,” Breen said. “She’s going to be very much missed around the barn. She’s very fun to be around. She has her own swagger. I think she knows she’s fast.”

Owned by Stoneway Farm, who purchased the daughter of Mizzen Mast at auction for $77,000 when she was a yearling, Stonetastic has earned more than $800,000 and has a carved out an ultra-consistent record of 8-5-3 in 21 starts.

Stonetastic finished second as the odds-on favorite in last year’s Sugar Swirl. The front-runner’s style was compromised when she failed to secure the early lead after she had to check in traffic shortly after the start. She followed that effort by winning two stakes at Gulfstream Park, the Miami Shores Handicap and the Inside Information (G2). She also finished second this year in the Humana Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs. She enters the Sugar Swirl following a facile score in the Pumpkin Pie at Belmont Park Oct. 30.

Stonetastic has won from 5 1/2 to seven furlongs, and every distance in between, but Breen said the six-furlong Sugar Swirl just might be her preferred trip.

“She’s won some nice races at seven furlongs, but maybe myself I feel a little bit more confident at six furlongs, and if this happens to be her final hurrah, it’s a pretty good fit,” Breen said.

Paco Lopez, who has ridden Stonetastic in all but six of her 21 starts, has the return assignment from post 5

One of Stonetastic’s five rivals in the Sugar Swirl is You Bought Her, who finished third in the 2015 edition of the race, a nose behind Stonetastic. A winner of nearly $500,000, You Bought Her is also winding down her career, and is expected to be bred in 2017 to California Chrome, who is eyeing next month’s $12 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park as his swan song before entering stud.

A 6-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Graeme Hall, You Bought Her is trained by the Tampa Bay Downs-based David Hinsley, who also co-owns the mare with his Richard Perkins. Hinsley hopes to use the Sugar Swirl as a springboard to the Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park Jan. 21, a race You Bought Her finished second in this year.

“I trained her mother, Striking T, and a bunch of others out of the same mare,” Hinsley said. “We went to the sale and I told my owner, Richard Perkins, that I really liked her and wanted a piece of her. We got her for $18,000.”

You Bought Her, the runner-up in the 2015 Inside Information, enters the Sugar Swirl following a second-place finish in the Millions Distaff Preview at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 12.

“She got trapped on the rail and really couldn’t get through,” Hinsley said of her last start. “I thought she was going to win it, but that’s racing luck. She’s a stalker type and will sit off the pace. If the pace is a little slower, she’ll lay a little closer. If the pace is fast, we try to keep up a little, just in case the leader gets away from her. I actually prefer seven-eighths to three-quarters, but it’s what it is.”

John Velazquez, who seeks his seventh victory in the Sugar Swirl, has the mount on You Bought Her, who post 6.

Dearest, three for four at Gulfstream Park, hasn’t raced since finishing second in the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga Race Course in September. Sky Gold, sixth in last year’s Sugar Swirl, is unraced since August when seen winning an optional claimer at Monmouth Park.

Rounding out the field are Danessa Again and Winning for Sarah.

Stablemates Keen Ice, Stanford, Madefromlucky Set for G3 Harlan’s Holiday

Pletcher Trio among Seven Entered in Saturday’s G1 Pegasus Tryout
Heart to Heart Back on Friendly Turf in $100,000 El Prado

Keen Ice, the only horse to beat American Pharoah during the Triple Crown champion’s historic 2015 Horse of the Year campaign, is scheduled to prep for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in Saturday’s $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Donegal Racing’s 4-year-old colt, who pulled off a 16-1 upset win over American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes (G1), is slated to be joined by Todd Pletcher-trained stablemates Stanford and Madefromlucky in the newly graded 1 1/16-mile race, one of three graded stakes on an 11-race program that will offer five stakes.

Keen Ice, who ran down American Pharoah in the stretch to beat American Pharoah by three-quarters of a length in the 1 ¼-mile Travers, is set to make his first start since finishing a distant third behind Arrogate and California Chrome in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Nov. 5.

“He seems to be in sharp form. The mile and a sixteenth doesn’t seem like his ideal distance, but we want to get him something between now and the Pegasus,” Pletcher said. “We feel sharpening him up is better than waiting to run him on January 28.”

The son of Curlin has gone winless in seven starts since his Saratoga stunner in August 2015. Formerly trained by Dale Romans, Keen Ice was transferred to Pletcher’s stable following his eighth-place finish in the $10 million Dubai World Cup last March.

Keen Ice tuned up for the 1 ¼-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic with a third-place finish in a one-turn mile allowance at Belmont Park Oct. 7 while making his first start for Pletcher off a six-month layoff. In the Classic, the Kentucky-bred colt was bumped at the start, saved ground while racing off the pace and closed between horses in the stretch to get up for third money, more than 11 lengths behind victorious Arrogate.

“I thought he ran well. I think he was one race shy of giving his very best. He just had the one-mile prep race. Considering that, I thought he ran very well,” Pletcher said. “California Chrome and Arrogate were just too good on the day, but I was proud of him finishing third.”

Javier Castellano has the return mount aboard Keen Ice.

Stanford is scheduled to make his first start since finishing a troubled eighth in the Met Mile (G1) at Belmont Park in June. In his previous start, the 4-year-old colt earned a huge payday while negotiating 1 1/8 miles around three turns during a front-running triumph in the $1,250,000 Charles Town Classic (G2) in April.

“He’s doing well. We gave him some time off after the Met Mile. He seemed to kind of tail off a little bit. We gave him a little bit of a break,” Pletcher said. “He’s come back and is training very well and he ran well over this track last year.”

Owned by Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith and Stonestreet Stables, Stanford finished second in both the Fred Hooper (G3) and Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) during last year’s Championship Meet, edged by stablemates Tommy Macho and Blofeld, respectively. Both races were contested at a mile around one-turn, but the Kentucky-bred colt won a stakes winner around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Long Brach at Monmouth Park last July.

“He actually likes three-turn mile and an eighth,” quipped Pletcher, referring to Stanford’s two-length score on Charles Town’s bullring track. “He’s pretty versatile. He’s a handy horse. I figured it’s time to get him started. We’ll give it a try in there and see if he does well enough to consider the Pegasus or give him some other options.”

Pletcher named to John Velazquez to ride Stanford,

Madefromlucky, who hasn’t raced since finishing second in the Excelsior (G3) at Aqueduct last April, finished second in last year’s Harlan’s Holiday, beaten three quarters of a length by multiple-graded stakes winner Valid.

Luis Saez has the mount aboard Madefromlucky, a multiple Grade 2 winner who has won two of four starts at Gulfstream Park.

Live Oak Plantation’s Awesome Slew also is scheduled to bring graded-stakes credentials into the Harlan’s Holiday. The Eddie Plesa-trained 3-year-old delivered a stunning seven-length triumph in the Smarty Jones (G3) at Parx Sept. 5 after breaking from the No. 14 post position.

The son of Awesome Again last raced in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Parx, where he set the race before tiring to fifth in a field of 12 with less than three weeks between races.

“In the Smarty Jones he drew a bad post position and we tried to take advantage of it and he was just much the best,” Plesa said. “The Pennsylvania Derby came up a little too quickly than would have been ideal, and the competition was a lot tougher. He tried to duplicate his (Smarty Jones) effort and he wasn’t able to do that. It was a tough thing to duplicate with the race coming up quicker than I would have liked to see.”

Joel Rosario has the mount aboard Awesome Slew.
Applicator and Joshua’s Comprise round out the seven-horse field.

Heart to Heart Back on Friendly Turf in $100,000 El Prado

Terry Hamilton’s Heart to Heart was among eighth horses entered Wednesday for a start in Saturday’s $100,000 El Prado at Gulfstream Park, where the son of English Channel captured back-to-back graded stakes last winter.

The Brian Lynch-trained 5-year-old registered front-running triumphs in both the Fort Lauderdale (G2) and the Canadian Turf (G3) over the Gulfstream turf course.

Heart to Heart followed up his Gulfstream wins with a second-place finish behind Miss Temple City in the Maker’s Mark 46 Mile (G1) at Keeneland and a fourth-place finish in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita. The Ontario-bred turf runner returned to winning form in the Knickerbocker (G3) at Belmont Oct. 10 before finishing fourth in the Artie Schiller at Aqueduct last time out.

“He’s a very capable type of horse who seems to like Gulfstream,” Lynch said. “He’s coming into the race in good order. We hope he brings one of his ‘A Game’ performances for the race.”

Julien Leparoux, who was aboard for both Gulfstream wins last season, returns to the saddle.

Flatlined, one of Heart to Heart’s …..rivals Saturday, has also shown an affinity for the Gulfstream turf, over which the Scooter Dickey-trained 4-year-old gelding broke his maiden and won a first-level allowance race during last season’s Championship Meet. The son of Flatter went on to capture the $150,000 Old Friends over Kentucky Downs’ European style turf course.

“He runs over about anything, that’s the thing about him. He really liked that turf down there and ran a real big race that day,” Dickey said.

Flatlined finished second in a Churchill Downs allowance in his most recent start.

“He’s getting better and better. I don’t know if he’s peaked yet, but we’ll find out,” said Dickey, who named Joe Bravo to ride Brian Hytrek, Rodney Paden and Ryan Kuhn’s Flatlined.

Merriebelle Stable’s Reporting Star enters the El Prado as a multiple-stakes winner over the Gulfstream turf course. The Brendan Walsh-trained gelding won the El Prado the Appleton (G3) last season. Luis Saez has the mount Saturday.

Shug McGaughey-trained Security Risk is slated to make his stakes debut in the El Prado after winning after winning a second-level optional claiming allowance race at Aqueduct Nov. 12. John Velazquez was named to ride the 4-year-old son of War Front, a Phipps Stable homebred colt.

Trainer Bill Mott entered Peter Vegso’s Go Around, as well as John Fielding and Frederick Hertrich’s Songsational.

Robert Spiegel’s Vision Perfect and Pricilla Vaccarezza and J and J Stables’ Little Baltar round out the field.
Gulfstream Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.