Gulfstream: Dashman, Cash Equity Meet Again in Mac Diarmida (G2); Canadian Turf (G3) Preview

By David Joseph —-

Dashman, Cash Equity Meet Again in Mac Diarmida (G2)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Dashman and Cash Equity, separated by a nose when respectively first and second in the William L. McKnight (G3) last month, will square off for the second time in five weeks in Saturday’s $215,000 Mac Diarmida (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The 29th running of the Mac Diarmida for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 3/8 miles on the grass anchors a blockbuster 14-race program featuring nine stakes, eight graded, worth $2.15 million in purses headlined by the $415,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds.

Frankly Speaking LLC’s Dashman kicked off his 4-year-old season with a determined victory in the 1 ½-mile McKnight Jan. 25 on the undercard of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1). It was just the eighth start for the Oscar Performance colt, who ran second by less than a length in a December 2023 maiden special weight in his other try at Gulfstream.

“We’re thrilled with him,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “First start as a 4-year-old against older horses in a graded stake last time and gets it done. It was a very, very good effort. He gets a little cutback in distance this time which I’m sure he’s going to appreciate. He’s definitely going in the right direction. We’re very excited about the year ahead for him.”

Dashman has been third or better in five of his eight starts, three of them wins, and was beaten less than two lengths when fourth in the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Derby Invitational (G3) last fall on the Aqueduct turf, his stakes debut and only prior try at the distance. Luis Saez rides from outermost post 12.

“It’s a mile and three-eighths and he’s got good tactical speed early, so he’ll be able to get himself in a good position,” Lynch said. “Please God he stays healthy and we should be in good shape.”

Lynch also entered LFG Racing’s Grade 3 winner Anglophile, similarly exiting the McKnight where he ran an even 10th, beaten five lengths, in his first start since the Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) in early September.

“He needed his last race coming off the bench there,” Lynch said. “He wasn’t beaten far at all, and I think there’s a lot of improvement in him.”

Anglophile has banked $890,352 in purse earnings from 18 starts, second-most in the field behind $2 million earner Grand Sonata, with three wins, a second and four thirds. Since earning graded credentials in the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) in 2023, his last win, the 5-year-old son of champion English Channel has placed twice in nine starts, all in stakes.

“He’s a horse that, with a little bit of luck in his running lines, you can see where he’s got himself in some trouble there only to be beaten short margins,” Lynch said. “He’s run some very good races against some very good horses. He’s due to have a breakthrough race. I think he needed his last race and has really trained on well, so fingers crossed he shows up.”

Ken Ramsey’s Cash Equity came flying late in the McKnight but saw his winless streak reach 15 races dating back to June 2023. In that time the 7-year-old French-bred gelding has placed nine times, five of them in stakes, including a second in the 2024 Mint Millions (G3) and 2023 Del Mar Handicap (G2).

“He’s earned a lot of checks, so I love the horse. He’s been a little unfortunate in some situations,” Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “Last time he was traveling so well and [jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.] couldn’t get him out at the right time and he lost a little momentum. He’s a horse that pauses so when Irad got him out, he paused, and that cost him.”

With Ortiz committed aboard Grand Sonata, Edgard Zayas will ride Cash Equity from Post 5. Cash Equity cuts back for the Mac Diarmida, a distance he’s tried once previously in the Del Mar Handicap.

“He’s a horse that tries,” Joseph said. “We stretched him out last time a mile and a half and that was unknown. We didn’t know if he’d go a mile and a half but he handled it well, and that gave us a lot of confidence to come back in this race. I feel better at a mile and three-eighths. I thought he’d go a mile and a quarter. A mile and a half was a question mark. I think a mile and three-eighths is perfect.”

Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata and Capture the Flag, bred and owned by Joseph Allen, will line up for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Grand Sonata, 6, won the 2022 Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream and 2024 Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) and exits a late-running eighth in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), beaten four lengths. Capture the Flag, 5, will be trying stakes company for the first time having run third or better in six of 10 career starts.

Bee Zee, Lanes End Racing, St. Elias Stables, Edward Babington, Edward Hudson and Lynne Hudson’s Missed the Cut is a Grade 3 winner at both 1 ¼ and 1 ½ miles that will be making his first start since running ninth in the 1 ½-mile Hardwicke (G2) last June at Royal Ascot. In his last North American start, the 6-year-old was second in last spring’s Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland.

Kalik, winner of the 2023 Pennine Ridge (G2); 2024 Louisville (G3) winner Sugoi, who captured the Jan. 25 John Connally last time out; Grade 1-placed Cathkin Peak, winner of the 1 5/8-mile John’s Call last summer at Saratoga; multiple stakes-placed Prevent; Be Like Clint and Parchment Party are also entered.

Trainer Trio Seeking First Canadian Turf (G3) Three-Peat

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Hall of Famers Shug McGaughey and Todd Pletcher as well as fellow trainer Brian Lynch will all send out major contenders in a quest to become the first three-peat winner of the $165,000 Canadian Turf (G3) Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The 59th running of the Canadian Turf for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass is the fourth of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $2.15 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the $415,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds.

First race post time is 11:30 a.m.

Since its debut in 1967, the Canadian Turf has seen six trainers record wins in back-to-back years: McGaughey, Pletcher, Lynch, Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Angel Penna Sr. and Marty Wolfson. Penna was the first to do it, with Equalize in 1988-89, followed by Mott with Stagecraft (1993) and Paradise Creek (1994) and Wolfson with The Vid (1995-96).

McGaughey joined the group with Data Link (2013) and Reload (2014). Saturday he will send out Magic Cap Stables’ Grade 3 winner Fort Washington, last seen closing from out of the clouds to be fifth, beaten 2 ¼ lengths, in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) Jan. 25. It was the second straight race at 1 1/8 miles for the 6-year-old, after coming up a neck shy of winner Major Dude in the Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 21.

“I watched him work up at Payson and said we’d better enter him [in the Pegasus] and see what happens. We got an outside post. He wasn’t beat that far and I thought he ran really respectable race,” McGaughey said. “I was in between this race and waiting for the [March 29] Appleton, and I like the mile and a sixteenth better than the mile. I thought he had a good work [Feb. 22] on the turf so we decided to go.”

Winner of the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth (G3) last June that ran third by less than a length in last year’s Canadian Turf, Fort Washington will be ridden for the second straight race by jockey Junior Alvarado. They drew Post 3 in a field of 10.

“He’s a horse that ran a great race last time,” Alvarado said. “It was a very tough race and we got in a very tough position. There was a lot of traffic to deal with and there was not a lot of options for me other than to go very wide turning for home. He still was making up a lot of ground at the end. It looks a little bit easier on paper this time. He just wants to be rated a little bit off the pace and come with a big run, and we’re going to stick to that and try to get the best out of him.”

Pletcher has won the Canadian Turf a record seven times, capturing the last two editions with Emmanuel. He is represented this year by Spendthrift Farm’s Major Dude, a seven-time winner of more than $1.1 million in purses from 19 career starts that ran sixth, three-quarters of a length behind Fort Washington, in the Pegasus Turf.

“He’s kind of a barn favorite. He’s totally professional. Shows up and does his job every morning and has put together a pretty strong resume,” Pletcher said. “We’re lucky to have him.”

Major Dude won the Pilgrim (G2) at 2, the Penn Mile (G2) and Gulfstream’s Kitten’s Joy (G3) at 3 and the Fort Lauderdale at 4. The Pegasus Turf snapped a two-race win streak that included a two-length allowance triumph going 1 1/16 miles in October at Keeneland. He will break from Post 4 with Irad Ortiz Jr.

“He only got beat three lengths in the Pegasus Turf but we never really got the trip we were hoping for. He kind of showed in three of the previous four races when he won, he seems to be a horse that likes some cover and kind of sets up his late run,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, we just kind of got hung three wide all the way around there and never could really get any cover. I think that kind of diminished his late kick a bit, so hopefully he’ll be able to work out a little better trip this time.”

Lynch won the Canadian Turf with Heart to Heart in 2016 and 2017. He’s back this year with Heart to Heart’s 4-year-old son, Silent Heart, who has shown a similar affinity for the Gulfstream turf with three wins and two thirds in five tries over the course.

“I haven’t had too many [Heart to Hearts] and he’s the best I’ve had. I’m kind of feeling my way with him,” Lynch said. “He was a cool horse that got better with age so hopefully this guy follows along. He’s not a real big horse and he runs the turns very well. Gulfstream’s turns are a little bit tighter, and it seems like he really appreciates it.”

Silent Heart has only been worse than third once in 11 races. His last three have come at Gulfstream, winning the 1 1/16-mile Showing Up Nov. 2 and finishing third by a half-length in the Tropical Park Derby Dec. 14 before drawing off to a popular 1 ½-length triumph in a Jan. 31 optional claiming allowance in his first try against older horses.

“He’s had a couple of nice efforts already at the meet here,” Lynch said. “This is a very competitive race. This will be the best group of horses he’s run against. He won very nicely the other day. His figures and everything fit. It was a strong race and he’s doing really well since. He worked as solid as a horse could work the other day, and we’re looking forward to running him. It just seems like he’s getting better and better with racing.”

The field also includes millionaire Atone, 2023 winner of the Pegasus Turf; twice Grade 3-placed Irish Aces; multiple graded-stakes placed Stanley House and Axthelm, the latter trying two turns for just the second time in 23 starts and first on grass; Paros, a stakes winner on Turfway Park’s synthetic surface; Skyro, racing first off the claim for trainer Marty Drexler; and Omni King.

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