Repole Stable's Never Surprised, beaten by multiple Grade 1-winning stablemate Colonel Liam in his most recent start, gets the chance to start a new streak in Saturday's $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 56th running of the 1 1/16-mile Canadian Turf for 4-year-olds and up is part of a blockbuster 13-race program offering nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.7 million in purses anchored by the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2.
Six of the Fountain of Youth Day stakes are scheduled for the turf, led by the $200,000 Mac Diarmida (G2) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 3/8 miles. First race post time is 12:10 p.m.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, a five-time Canadian Turf winner including champion English Channel in 2006 and most recently Sombeyay in 2020, Never Surprised had won two straight before setting the pace in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Jan. 29 at Gulfstream. Colonel Liam wrested a short lead at the top of the stretch and went on to defend his Pegasus title by a length over Never Surprised, who held second over late-running Space Traveller.
Never Surprised returns to a distance where he owns three wins from four tries, including the Gio Ponti last November at Aqueduct and Gulfstream's Dec. 26 Tropical Park Derby, the race Colonel Liam won in 2020 as a prep for his first Pegasus victory.
“We were optimistic going into the Pegasus. We thought he'd run well, and he did,” Pletcher said. “He had an outside draw and [jockey Luis Saez] had to use him a little bit to get over, and he really fought back when Colonial Liam came to him. It was a big effort.
“He's backing up a little bit in distance, and he seems to be in good form,” he added. “He's run consistently well. If this goes well, we might look at the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile [April 15] at Keeneland. The spacing is pretty good to that.”
Saez, leading the Championship Meet with 87 victories, gets the return call from Post 2 in a field of seven.
Calumet Farm Grade 3-winning homebred English Bee was among invitees to the Pegasus Turf but was unable to draw in, instead traveling to Tampa Bay Downs where he ran fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay (G3) Feb. 5. In his prior race, he was third by two lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 18 at Gulfstream.
“Originally we had been invited to Pegasus and then he didn't draw in, which was fine,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I happen to think he really likes Gulfstream. His best races potentially have been on racetracks like Gulfstream and Colonial [Downs] where it's really kind of firm and he can hear his feet rattle.
“He ran a big race in the Fort Lauderdale. He didn't get beat very far but that's him, consistently,” he added. “He just got beat in a Grade 1 at Keeneland. He's always right there.”
English Bee won three stakes – the Virginia Derby (G3), James Murphy and Parx Fall Derby – in a span of five races in 2019. The following year he ran second in the Canadian Turf, beaten a half-length by Sombeyay, and was sixth by a length to 2019 Preakness (G1) winner War of Will in the Maker's Mark Mile (G1).
“I love this horse. I think he's a really hard-knocking, kind of blue-collar horse. He's always around at the end. It doesn't matter what kind of race you run him in,” Motion said. “He's just a really, really cool horse. He's a hard-trying horse and he's doing well.”
Paco Lopez has been named to ride from Post 3.
MEB Stables' Clear Vision ran second in the Claiming Crown Emerald and won the one-mile Tropical Turf (G3) Jan. 8 at Gulfstream in his first two starts after being claimed by trainer Matthew Brice O'Connor for $25,000 last fall at Belmont Park. The Tropical Turf was the first career graded triumph for trainer and horse, fifth in the Tampa Bay, a half-length behind English Bee.
Jose Ortiz will be aboard from Post 6 at topweight of 124 pounds.
Also entered are Mouillage, making her U.S. debut after never running worse than third in 11 starts in her native France; Mira Mission, last out winner of a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Jan. 15 at Gulfstream for trainer Ian Wilkes; 2018 Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Noble Indy, claimed for $35,000 out of his most recent start Feb. 10 at Gulfstream by trainer Gustavo Delgado; and Sigiloso, runner-up in Gulfstream's Jan. 22 Sunshine Turf, rained off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta at 1 1/8 miles.
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