Gulfstream: Arella Star Sharp in Return to Winning Form and Gulfstream

By David Joseph —-

November 20, 2022

Arella Star Sharp in Return to Winning Form and Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – J Stables LLC’s Arella Star put a stressful trip to Del Mar behind her in emphatic fashion Sunday, returning to winning form and Gulfstream Park with a thoroughly dominating performance.

“I couldn’t wait to get her back here,” trainer Roderick Rodriguez said.

The 2-year-old daughter of Nyquist set a pressured pace while rating kindly for jockey Miguel Vasquez on the outside of Olga before taking full control on the turn into the homestretch and drawing away to capture Race 7, a six-furlong optional claiming allowance for juvenile fillies run over a sloppy track, by 5 ¼ lengths.

After graduating in similar fashion July 29 at Gulfstream Park, Arella Star was shipped west to run in the Sept. 10 Del Mar Oaks (G1). Unfortunately, the Kentucky-bred filly didn’t settle in at Del Mar as well as her trainer had expected, opening a cut on her forehead while rearing in her stall a few days before the race and then acting up in the starting gate before the Grade 1 race, in which she set the pace for a half-mile before fading to seventh.

“That’s why she ran so bad,” Rodriguez said. “I have high hopes for her – that’s why we went to Del Mar.”

Arella Star, the 6-5 favorite in a field of seven, ran six furlongs in 1:11.68. One of One got up to edge pace-presser Olga by 1 ¼ lengths for second.

Rodriguez, who noted that stakes winner Blind Spot had finished second in Arella Star’s impressive maiden victory, and J Stables LLC will ‘will look at our options with her.”

“She’s going to go farther. The farther the better when she doesn’t need to be pressured,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what impressed me today – that she was pressured and had something left at the end.”

Race 7 was the first to three consecutive optional claiming allowance races on Sunday’s 10-race card.

In Race 8, a five-furlong dash for fillies and mares on Tapeta, Leonel Reyes, who guided Admiral Hopper to victory to starts back, returned to the saddle and the winner’s circle Sunday with Krista and Edward Seltzer’s homebred daughter of Field Commission. Admiral Hopper rated off the pace while saving ground before slipping through along the rail to out-nod Lionessofbrittany for the victory. Admiral Hopper ($8.20) ran five furlongs on Tapeta in 55.99 seconds to score by a neck over Lionessofbrittany, who finished three-quarters of a length ahead of favored Miss Sakamoto.

Claimed for $62,500 out of a Sept. 14 optional claiming race at Kentucky Downs, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Summer Assault ($14.40) nosed out Big Dreaming in Race 9, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up on Tapeta. The Michael Maker trainee ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.15 after making a far-outside stretch drive under Samy Camacho.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the second day following a jackpot hit worth $47,591.24 Friday. There will be a $25,186.11 carryover heading into Friday’s Rainbow 6 wagering. There will also be a $2,759.95 Super Hi-5 carryover for Race 1 Friday.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The company’s consumer facing brand 1/ST (pronounced “First”) powers The Stronach Group’s forward-thinking 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST EXPERIENCE, and 1/ST PROPERTIES businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred horse racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class horse racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is horse racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. 1/ST PROPERTIES is responsible for the development of the company’s live, work and play communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred horse racing on and off the track. For more information, please email david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.