Gulfstream: Bluefield Enters Saturday’s Sheer Drama in Best Form of Her Life

By David Joseph —-

Bluefield Enters Saturday’s Sheer Drama in Best Form of Her Life

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – At an age when most mares have already begun their second careers, Bluefield has been racing far too well for owner/breeder Edward Seltzer to entertain the idea of sending his 8-year-old mare to the breeding shed.

“She came to us as a late 5-year-old and she’s gotten better with age,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “You don’t see too many running at 8, especially mares and, you could say, arguably, in the best form of her life.”

Coming off a going-away 3 ½-length victory in the June 29 Musical Romance Handicap, Bluefield is scheduled to return in Saturday’s $100,000 Sheer Drama, a seven-furlong handicap in which the Florida-bred mare is scheduled for a highly anticipated clash with Beth’s Dream in a deep field of eight fillies and mares. Bluefield and Beth’s Dream have both been assigned to carry highweight of 125 pounds, between two and nine pounds more than their rivals.

Bluefield launched her prolonged career with a debut victory in a $16,000 claiming race at Laurel Park Aug. 8, 2000 and went on to win four of 12 races before joining Joseph’s stable at Gulfstream in September 2022. The daughter of Field Commission would capture the 6 ½-furlong Musical Romance before finishing second at Prairie Meadows in the six-furlong Saylorville and checking in fourth in the Princess Rooney (G3) at Gulfstream.

After winning the seven-furlong City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay, Bluefield stepped up her game during the Championship Meet at Gulfstream, earning graded-stakes status by finishing second behind Olivia Darling in the Inside Information (G2). She went on to finish fifth in the Barbara Fritchie (G3) at Laurel before prepping for her Musical Romance title defense with an optional claiming allowance win at Gulfstream.

“She runs her best when she sits back and makes a good run,” Joseph said. “She has a good run for 1 ½ furlongs. The more quiet you ride her, the better,” said Joseph, who awarded the return mount aboard Bluefield to Drayden Van Dyke.

Joseph is also scheduled to saddle Vegso Racing Stables Inc.’s Imonra for a start in the Sheer Drama. The 4-year-old daughter of Violence, who will be ridden by Leonel Reyes, finished fourth in the Musical Romance.

Virginia Gamble’s Beth’s Dream will seek her fourth straight victory Saturday while making her first career start at seven furlongs. The 6-year-old daughter of Jess’s Dream broke her maiden at 6 ½ furlongs in a $16,000 maiden claimer at Gulfstream in December 2021 before going on to win seven more races, all at the one-turn mile distance. Emisael Jaramillo has the return mount for the Sheer Drama, in which its participants will race Lasix-free.

“Beth’s Dream is a deserving favorite. She’s runs faster than anyone in the race. There’s no two ways about it,” Joseph said. “She hasn’t run much off Lasix. Maybe she’ll regress not being on Lasix, but at the end of the day, if she runs just as good off Lasix, nothing’s going to beat her.”

A check of Beth’s Dream’s past performance lines shows only one race in which the Victor Barboza Jr.-trained mare did not run on the diuretic Lasix. She finished a very game second in the June 11 Ginger Punch, which was run on Tapeta around two turns at 1 1/16 miles.

Rodney Lundock’s Maryquitecontrary, the only graded-stakes winner in the Sheer Drama field, will be in receipt of two pounds from Bluefield and Beth’s Dream. The 5-year-old daughter of First Dude most recently finished third behind Beth’s Dream in the June 23 My Pal Chrisy Handicap, in which she conceded one pound to the winner.

Maryquitecontrary, who captured the Rampart (G3) and the Inside Information (G2) during the 2022-2023 Championship Meet before finishing second in the Maidson (G1) at Kee4neland, defended her title in the Rampart before finishing third in the Inside Information and the Royal Delta during the 2023-2024 Championship Meet. Edgard Zayas has the call aboard the Eddie Plesa Jr. trainee.

Trainer David Fawkes, who trained multiple Grade 1 stakes-winning Sheer Drama, will saddle Royalight Racing LLC’s Charlie’s Wish Saturday. The 4-year-old daughter of First Dude finished second behind Beth’s Dream in the My Pal Chrisy.

Just for Fun Stable Inc.’s Sophia’s Storm, Gold Square LLC’s Hihellohowareyou, and Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Madaket Stables LLC and Franks Silva’s Infinite Diamond round out the field.

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