Gulfstream: Nancysaidso Out to Make Statement in Saturday’s Desert Vixen

By David Joseph —-

Stallion Cajun Breeze Well Represented in Florida Sire Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Cajun Breeze never won a stakes race during his 32-race career that had shown so much promise when he finished second in the 2012 Sunshine Millions Sprint in just his fourth start and fourth in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) in his fifth start.

A tough-as-nails warrior who had amassed earnings of nearly $250,000 prior to his 2015 retirement, Cajun Breeze didn’t quite realize his full potential as a racehorse for owner/trainer Michael Yates, but the 10-year-old son of Congrats will have three chances to become the proud dad of a stakes winner on Saturday’s FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes program for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.

“It’s over the top,” Yates said of the first-crop success of Cajun Breeze. “It’s been pretty surreal.”

Yates is slated to saddle Nancysaidso for the $100,000 Desert Vixen Division for fillies, as well as debut winners Cajun Firecracker and Cajun Embers for the $100,000 Dr. Fager Division of the Florida Sire Stakes series that features juveniles sired by stallions standing in Florida. All three are homebreds who will run in the colors of Yates’ Shadowbrook Farm.

“He was a horse that I always believed in. I knew he was a bit of an underachiever. He had the license to be a really good horse, I was looking through his pedigree. He’s out of an Awesome Again mare, who’s a multiple-stakes producer. He’s by Congrats, who continues to improve and get better,” Yates said. “At the end of the day, I thought he had the pedigree to be a sire, so I took a shot.”

Nancysaidso, the likely favorite to defeat 13 other fillies in the six-furlong Desert Vixen, promises to be Cajun Breeze’s best shot of being represented by a stakes winner from his first crop of 2-year-olds. She will has put together a strong four-race resume that includes back-to-back victories in her last two starts after finishing second in her first two.

After setting the pace and coming up three-quarters of a length short in both of her first two races at 4 ½ furlongs, Nancysaidso broke through with a dazzling front-running triumph at five furlongs May 26 – a performance that took on even more luster when runner-up Catherinethegreat came back to graduate by 10 ¼ lengths before shipping to Saratoga for a 4 ¼-length triumph in the July 20 Schuylerville (G3).

Nancysaidso came back to win a July 5 optional claiming allowance, in which she set a pressured pace before falling two lengths behind Sweetsweetsweet in mid-stretch, only to fight back to win by a half-length when her rival ducked out to the outside rail nearing the finish of the 5 ½-furlong sprint.

“From her maiden win to her allowance race, we didn’t do enough with her, but she continues to move forward,” Yates said. “She’s been training well. [Jockey Emisael] Jaramillo worked her behind horses the other day, so he could put her behind horses if need be.”

Yates said Nancysaidso has a good mind, a trait she shares with Cajun Firecracker and Cajun Ember and one that should help her relax on the lead or behind horses.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to be in front. You have to ask her to go 21-and-change [first quarter-mile fraction]. I don’t think she wants you to ask her to go 21-and-change. The times we’ve asked her to go 21-and-change she seems to be a little late finishing,” Yates said. “When she got 22-and-change, she was full of run.”

Trainer Stanley Gold, who has saddled a record 18 winners of FSS races, is slated to saddle five Arindel homebred fillies for the Desert Vixen – maiden winners Bimini, Samoa and Snowzilla and maidens Capriati and Cookie Dough, all daughters of Brethren.

“We’re supporting the program, big time, and we’re also showcasing Brethren, because they’re all Brethrens,” Gold said. “We’re not going to have the favorites. We’re going to be an underdog, but we’re not going in there with five horses to ride horses against horses or throw a rabbit. I’m sending out five horses – they’re not a team – and they’re all going to run their races.”

Jockey Jeffrey Sanchez, who has ridden all five fillies, has opted to ride Cookie Dough, who has finished a troubled third in both of her starts.

“Cookie Dough ran early on and got shut off and run into the rail. She got hurt so bad she had to go home,” said Gold of Cookie Dough’s April 12 debut. “We finally made another start with her and she had the same thing happened to her and finished third.”

Bimini is coming off a victorious debut, in which she rallied from fourth to win the five-furlong sprint by 1 ½ lengths. Samoa, who finished third behind Sweetsweetsweet in her June 3 debut, broke her maiden at five furlongs going away by 3 ¼ lengths June 16. Snowzilla broke her maiden May 31 for a $50,000 claiming price by 4 ½ lengths before finishing a distant third behind Nancysaidso and Sweetsweetsweet.

Capriati has notched runner-up finishes behind Mark Casse-trained Catherinethegreat and Todd Pletcher-trained Equifax.

“Capriati finished second to the horse that just wired them at Saratoga and before that she finished second to a horse of Pletcher’s call Equifax,” Gold added.

Jonathan Gonzales has the mount aboard Bimini; Luca Panici has the call on Samoka; Reylu Gutierrez has been named to ride Snowzilla; Jesus Rios will ride Capriati.

Todd Pletcher-trained Valkyrie Gold, who defeated Nancysaidso in her April 12 debut is set to make her return to action in the Desert Vixen. Kenneth English and Alan Braun’s daughter of Exclusive Quality ran 4 ½ furlongs in a sharp 51.79 seconds to graduate. Edgard Zayas has the mount.

Two daughters of Kantharos are slated to make their respective stakes debuts after winning at first asking at Gulfstream. Kales Company LLC’s Select Friday and John Oxley and Kathy Machesky’s Capture Your Dream.

Select Friday, who was purchased for $105,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale, debuted for trainer David Fawkes with an off-the-pace 3 ¼-length triumph July 1.

“She’s training really good. She’s doing super. I expect her to be one of the favorites,” Fawkes said.

Capture Your Dream, who captured her May 13 debut at Gulfstream by 10 ½ lengths for trainer Anna Varsi and owner Kathy Machesky, is scheduled to make her debut for Casse, who took over her training after Oxley became part owner through a private purchase. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount.

Naveed Chowhan’s Starry Affair, a Bernie Flint-trained daughter of Soldat, is venturing to Gulfstream for the Desert Vixen after capturing her maiden race at Churchill Downs by three-quarters of a length. Alex Canchari will ride Starry Affair for the first time.

Starship Stables’ Starship Nala, who closed from sixth to win her debut by 1 ¼ lengths at five furlongs will return in the Desert Vixen for trainer Stephen Dwoskin, who saddled Starship Bonita for victories in last year’s FSS Susan’s Girl and FSS My Dear Girl.

First Time Proud, a daughter of Kantharos who finished fourth behind Nancysaidso last time out after graduating by three lengths; She’s Unbridled, who broke her maiden in a $25,000 maiden claimer last time out; and Bit Coin Queen, a debuting daughter of Big Drama; 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