Stonehedge LLC's Breeze On By will seek a sweep of the 2020 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series Saturday, when the undefeated homebred son of Cajun Breeze takes on eight rivals in Saturday's $400,000 In Reality at Gulfstream Park.
The In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile open-division final for 2-year-olds, and the My Dear Girl, the 1 1/16-mile final for juvenile fillies, will be joined on Saturday's program by the $150,000 FSS Wildcat Heir, a mile race for 3-year-olds and up. All three FSS stakes are for horses sired by accredited Florida Stallions. Supporting stakes will include the $75,000 Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds; the $75,000 My Dear Peggy, a mile turf stakes for juvenile fillies; and the $75,000 Hollywood Beach, a five-furlong turf dash for 2-year-olds.
Breeze On By captured the $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager at six furlongs Aug. 1 and the $200,000 FSS Affirmed at seven furlongs Aug. 29. The undefeated Ralph Nicks trainee, who captured his July 12 debut, will seek to become the fifth horse to sweep the FSS open division, joining Three Rules (2016), Sir Oscar (2003), Seacliff (1995) and Smile (1984).
“He's a nice horse. The question will be: Will he handle the two turns? That being said, he's done everything pretty handily so far,” Nicks said. “I love young horses. Stonehedge sends them to us early and let us do our job. It's fun to watch them develop. The ones who have talent you can mold into these kind of horses.”
Trainer Ralph Nicks, who won his fourth consecutive running of the Affirmed when Breeze On By romped to victory by 7 ½ lengths, has saddled the winners of eight Florida Sire Stakes series races since 2016.
“I've been blessed with some nice horses. It would be special to put him on the list with the other ones that have swept the series,” Nicks said.
Breeze On By provided Gil and Marilyn Campbell's Stonehedge Farm with a 15th victory in the tradition-rich series with his Affirmed score.
The gelded son of Cajun Breeze, who made a rather auspicious debut while capturing a July 12 maiden special weight race at Gulfstream by six lengths, set the pace in the six-furlong Dr. Fager before meeting a strong challenge from Gatsby at the top of the stretch. After Gatsby put his nose in front in mid-stretch, Breeze On By fought back gamely to prevail by a length.
In the Affirmed, Breeze On By was followed to the finish line by Nicks stablemates Big Daddy Dave and Seazan, who are also owned by Campbells, who achieved the superfecta with Kathleen O'Connell-trained fourth-place finisher Top Boss.
While Big Daddy Dave, who finished a distant second in the Affirmed, is scheduled to bypass the In Reality and start in the Hollywood Beach, Seazan will return in the FSS final. After a troubled second-place finish in his debut, the son of Khozan graduated in his second start Aug. 1. Seazan closed from ninth and last to finish third in the Affirmed.
“I honestly believe he is a two-turn horse,” Nicks said. “He'll be picking up lot of ground late. He's going to be even better the middle of next year than he is right now.”
Emisael Jaramillo has the return call aboard Breeze On By, while Samy Camacho is slated to ride Seazan.
Arindel's Gatsby will seek to rebound from a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Affirmed after giving Breeze On By a scare in the Dr. Fager. The homebred son of Brethren broke a step slow from his No. 1 post position before setting a pressured pace and faltering in the stretch.
An impressive winner of his April 12 debut, he rebounded from an off-the-board finish in the June 27 Bashford Manor (G3) at Churchill Downs with his gusty second-place finish in the Dr. Fager. The homebred son of Brethren pulled off an upset victory over heavily favored Golden Pal in his April 12 debut at 4 ½ furlongs at Gulfstream, chasing the Wesley Ward-trained odds-on favorite into the stretch before edging clear by three-quarters of a length. Golden Pal has gone on to impress on turf, finishing second in the Norfolk (G2) at Royal Ascot and winning the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga handily by 3 ½ lengths.
Arindel and trainer Juan Alvarado will also be represented by Hercules, who debuted impressively at Gulfstream Aug. 29, scoring by 2 ½ lengths despite racing greenly through the stretch.
Cristian Torres has the call on Gatsby, while Hector Berrios has been named to ride Hercules, also a son of Brethren.
Kenneth Fishbein's Boca Boy, who finished third in the Dr. Fager, returns to FSS action Saturday after bypassing the Affirmed in favor of the Proud Man, an undercard turf stakes in which he finished second. Edgard Zayas will ride the son of Prospective.
Social Equality, Honesto and The Red Man round out the field.
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