May, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

First Winner for Trainer Faith Wilson

Trainer Faith Wilson earned the first win of her career when La Luisa (Suns Out Guns Out) captured the ninth race at Monmouth Park Monday.

“I'm beyond ecstatic, especially because this was a project horse that my husband and I own,” the 33-year-old said. “She was a bad bleeder when we got her. We gave her six months off and since then she has been very consistent [with a win, second and third in four starts for Wilson]. I literally can't wait to get home and have cake with my kids and tell them about this.”

Wilson, an assistant for nine years for a variety of trainers, intended to launch her career at Monmouth Park a year ago “but we got here too late to get started.”

“So we decided to go to Tampa Downs and start there this winter,” she said. “We had a good winter at Tampa [with four seconds and a third from 13 starters], but I guess it was meant to be that I would get my first winner at my home track.”

Wilson's parents, Bill and Donna Wilson, both dabbled as trainers, with her mother spending her career (1989 through 1994) on the New Jersey circuit, which then included Garden State Park, the Meadowlands and Atlantic City Racecourse.

Wilson, who has a string of seven horses at Monmouth, won't have too much time to celebrate the first victory.

“We have four running next weekend that I have to get ready,” she said.

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Diamond Oops Tuning Up For Gulfstream’s Summit Of Speed

With the Summit of Speed just a month away, next Saturday's $60,000 Hollywood Lakes and $75,000 Game Face at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., will serve as key local preps for several entrants.

Millionaire Diamond Oops figures to be the one to beat in the Hollywood Landing, a six-furlong overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up that will serve as a prep for the $200,000 Smile Sprint (G3) July 3 at Gulfstream.

The six-furlong Smile will co-headline the Summit of Speed card with the $350,000 Princess Rooney (G2), a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares that has been designated as a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' race.

Diamond Oops captured the 2019 edition of the Smile Sprint before going on to finish second in Grade 1 stakes back-to-back, once on dirt at Saratoga and once on turf at Keeneland. He started his 2020 campaign with a solid fourth-place finish in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream while stretching out to 1 1/8 miles. Back at one turn, Diamond Oops won the Twin Spires Turf (G2) at Churchill and the Phoenix (G2) on dirt at Keenland before getting a break following a pair of off-the-board finishes in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and the Mr. Prospector (G3) at Gulfstream. The son of Lookin At Lucky, who is owned by trainer Patrick Biancone, Diamond 100 Racing Club and partners, is coming off a fourth-place finish in the April 30 Twin Spires Turf.

Ournationonparade, a two-time optional claiming allowance winner during the Championship Meet, is being pointed to the Hollywood Lakes and could give Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trainer Kathy Ritvo a third Smile prospect.

Dean and Patti Reeves and Ritvo already have a pair of strong prospects for the Smile in Double Crown and Frosted Grace. Double Crown, who closed out his 2020 campaign with a runner-up finish in the Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico in October, came off a 6 ½-month layoff a late-rallying triumph over multiple-stakes winner Chance It in a May 23 stakes-quality allowance at Gulfstream, setting up a likely rematch in the Smile. Frosted Grace, who finished second behind Grade 1 winner Mischevious Alex in the Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) during the Championship Meet, is coming off a third-place finish in the Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico following a very troubled start.

John Minchello's Competitive Speed, who was twice graded stakes-placed during the Championship Meet, is scheduled to make her first start since finishing off the board in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) in the Game Face, a 6 ½-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies. The Javier Gonzalez-trained daughter of Competitive Edge, who won the Glitter Woman in January before finishing third in both the Davona Dale (G2) and Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), was bumped out of the starting gate in the Kentucky Oaks and never recovered.

e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Sound Machine has already established herself as a Princess Rooney candidate by registering a gutsy 2 ¾-length victory in Saturday's $75,000 Musical Romance at Gulfstream.

“We'd love to win a graded-stakes with her. She's by Into Mischief; she's graded stakes-placed already; and she's won two stakes,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To win a graded stakes with her would be huge.”

Chuck Willis Scores Fourth Win in Row in Monday's Golden Glades
Tracy Farmer's Chuck Willis ($9.40) led from gate to wire to win Monday's $70,000 Golden Glades at Gulfstream Park, notching his fourth win in a row.

The Irish-bred 5-year-old gelding, who captured an April 22 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream off an 8 ½-month layoff, ran a mile over firm turf in 1:33.38 under Miguel Vasquez in the overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

The Mark Casse-trained Chuck Willis had won one of four starts in Europe before finishing off-the-board in his North American debut in the Grey Stakes (G2) at Woodbine in October 2018. The son of Kodiac was sidelined for 19 months before winning back-to-back optional claiming allowances over Woodbine's synthetic surface and going to the sideline for another 8 ½-month layoff.

“We're very thankful to Mr. Farmer for being so patient with him. It's going to pay off for him,” said Nick Tomlinson, Casse's assistant trainer. “He's the real deal. He's had some hiccups along the way, but he can be a pretty serious horse.”

Vow Me Now and Edwin Gonzalez chased Chuck Wills throughout the race but fell a half-length short of catching him. Renaissance Frolic, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Edgard Zayas, finished third, a length back.

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Sam Boulmetis, Sr Dies at 94

Hall-of-Fame jockey Sam Boulmetis Sr. died May 30 in Red Bank, New Jersey, following a lengthy illness. He was 94.

DRF.com first reported his death on Monday, citing confirmation from his daughter, Kim Boulmetis, who said her father died peacefully at River View Hospital shortly after being transported there earlier in the day. He had suffered from dementia in recent years.

Earlier in the week, Kim Boulmetis had posted online that her father was the oldest living Hall-of-Fame jockey. He had served as president of The Jockeys' Guild from 1962 until his retirement five years later.

A Mar. 4, 1959, New York Times column about Boulmetis titled “The Golden Greek” noted that in the minds of railbirds, “Next to [Eddie] Arcaro, Boulmetis is the man with the most character and class in racing.”

According to his National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame biography, the Baltimore native made his debut in the saddle at Tropical Park in 1948 and rode his first winner, Stepinthedark, the following year at Garden State Park. His best riding years in the early- and mid-1950s included seasonal titles at Monmouth Park and Hialeah Park.

During a career in which he won 2,783 races, Boulmetis said his best mount was multiple champion and Hall-of-Fame distaffer Tosmah. He partnered with her to win the Astarita, Frizette, Miss Woodford, Matron, Maskette, and Beldame S., and also beat males in the Arlington Classic and John B. Campbell S.

Boulmetis won the Washington, D.C., International on Mahan, the United Nations H. on champion Career Boy, the Widener on Oligarchy, the Suburban on Helioscope, and the Flamingo S. twice with Charlie McAdam and Bally Ache. He won the Oceanport S. four times and the Monmouth H. three times.

Other standouts ridden by Boulmetis included Don Poggio, Vertex, Blue Sparkler, Errand King, Palestinian, and Dedicate.

When he announced his retirement early in 1967, Boulmetis had earnings of $15,425,953, which ranked him in the top 10 up to that time. Boulmetis later became a racing official and served many years as the state steward for New Jersey.

DRF reported that Boulmetis is survived by his wife, Lillian “Bebe” Boulmetis, to whom he was married for 69 years. The couple had five children: sons Sam Jr. and Jimmy, both lifelong racetrackers, along with daughters Jane, Susan, and Kim. Boulmetis is also survived by three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.

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‘Kids Don’t Always Listen’: Calixto Juarez Saddles First Stakes Winner After Son Nik Opts For Another Mount

Calixto Juarez did his best to try to convince his son – jockey Nik Juarez – to ride the horse he trains, Princess Georgia, in Monday's $76,500 Spruce Fir Handicap at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

When that failed he had to settle for the next best thing: Watching Princess Georgia score a late-running three-quarters length victory, doing so by running past Diamond Play in deep stretch.

Diamond Play's jockey? Nik Juarez.

The victory in the six-furlong dash for Jersey-bred fillies and mares 3 and up marked the elder Juarez's first stakes win as a trainer. He began training in 2014 and didn't have a starter in 2020.

“Right now I can't touch the ground,” said Calixto Juarez. “I'm sure I'll feel even better when we get the check (from the purse) but right now I am floating. I feel fantastic. And to beat my son … I don't know what to say.

“I asked him to ride this horse. He said `No, I am riding the winner.' He made a mistake but kids don't always listen to their parents, so what can you do? We know it's just business. I know he is very happy for me.”

Ridden by Carlos Hernandez, Princess Georgia rallied from sixth in the seven-horse field at the top of the stretch to come rolling late down the stretch just as it seemed Diamond Play was a winner. It was another half-length back to 2-1 race favorite Groovy Surprise in third.

Time of the race over a fast track was 1:11.93.

“When I broke out of the gate I took back my filly because I saw the speed out there and my horse is so good at making one big run,” said Hernandez. “So I wanted to wait and get her to relax. I knew when I asked her she would give me everything so I just needed to put her in a good spot.

“I knew Diamond Play was the filly to beat. That is the one Nik Juarez chose to ride so I was able to pick up the mount on this one. It worked out great for me.”

The victory was the third straight and fifth in 27 career starts for the 6-year-old daughter of El Padrino–Vodka High by Mount McKinley. It marked her third straight victory in her first start since returning to Juarez's care.

Juarez had her for all of 2019 before opting to stay in Florida in 2020 and not train, which prompted owner CJ Racing to turn Princess Georgia over to Alison Delgado. Juarez just got her back this month.

“She is in really top form. She has been training great since I got her back,” said Juarez, a former jockey who has now won 13 races as a trainer.

Princess Georgia returned $11.20 to win.

Racing resumes at Monmouth Park on Friday, June 4, with a six-race twilight card that will feature the first two 2-year-old races of the season. First race post time on Friday is 5 p.m.

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