Gulfstream: Shamrocket Takes To Dirt In Sunshine Classic, Gatsby Breaks Through In Sprint

Donegal Racing's Shamrocket made a victorious debut on dirt Saturday at Gulfstream Park after 21 turf starts, rallying late to capture the $75,000 Sunshine Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race for older Florida-breds.

The Sunshine Classic co-headlined Saturday's program with the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint, a six-furlong race for older Florida-breds.

Shamrocket, a winner of one turf stakes with more than $400,000 in earnings, was sent to post as the 6-5 favorite in a field of seven.

“He's always trained well on it, and we were kind of looking for the right time to give it a try. I talked to [stable operator] Jerry Crawford and decided to go ahead and give it a try,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It could open up some options for him. I think he's a horse that might even handle some of these longer dirt races, marathon-type dirt races, down the road. I'm happy for the horse and proud of him for getting the job done.

Shamrocket had to work hard to prevail by a half-length over gutsy Sir Ollie, who had come under pressure throughout the Sunshine Classic. The Pletcher trainee settled in fourth along the backstretch, where a headstrong Big Venezuela dragged jockey Luis Saez to a brief lead before early pacesetter Sir Ollie regained the lead on the turn under Junior Alvarado, only to be headed by a three-wide Nacho Papa on the turn into the stretch. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano got Shamrocket rolling on the turn and swung the 5-year-old son of Tonalist four-wide for the stretch run. Sir Ollie kicked on in the stretch but fell just shy of holding off the steady stretch bid by the favorite.

“I had a perfect trip. I didn't want to be too far back because he's the one-run type of horse. I didn't want him to think too much and didn't want him to get too much dirt in his face or get bounced around in his first race on dirt,” Castellano said. “I put him and the game and took it from there. I give all the credit to Todd Pletcher.”

Shamrocket, who finished second in the 2021 Sunshine Turf, ran 1 1/8-miles in 1:52.26 after sitting off fractions of 24.81 and 49.71 seconds for the first half-mile.

“I was a little concerned. There wasn't much pace on, and he wants to come from off of it,” Pletcher said. “Javier did a good job of not taking him out of his running style but tried to keep him close enough to be in striking distance.”

Sir Ollie held second following a game performance, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Nacho Papa.

Gatsby broke through with his first stakes victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park, capturing the $75,000 Sunshine Sprint by 1 ¼ lengths following a race-long duel with favored Cool Quest.

The Arindel homebred pressed Cool Quest past fractions of 21.75 and 44.23 seconds for the first half-mile of the six-furlong sprint for older Florida-breds, before edging away in the stretch to complete the the distance in 1:09.11.

Gatsby, the 2-1 second betting choice, was well-respected by the bettors following a gritty second-place finish to Grade 1 winner Drain the Clock in a Dec. 10 Gulfstream allowance, in which he pressed the pace before falling a half-length short of victory.

“That was kind of a preparation for this race. Having Drain the Clock in that race was really tough,” trainer Carlos David said. “When he ran a fast race like that, we knew he'd be competitive in this race.”

Leading jockey Luis Saez rode Gatsby to victory. Cool Quest finished second under Julien Leparoux, 3 ¼ lengths ahead of Pudding and jockey Javier Castellano.

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After Friday’s Gate Incident, Irad Ortiz Takes Off Weekend Mounts At Gulfstream

Reigning champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will not ride at Gulfstream Park this weekend, taking time to recover from a sore knee caused by an incident in the starting gate prior to Friday's eighth race, the Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee posted on Twitter. The rider's agent, Steve Rushing, told McGee that Ortiz plans to return to the saddle next Wednesday, when he is named to ride in eight races on the card.

Ortiz was aboard Shea On A Mission for trainer Carlos David as the field loaded into the gate, when the 4-year-old daughter of Mission Impazible became unruly and reared. Ortiz managed to escape out the back, but he immediately appeared to be in pain. He was helped away from the gate by the assistant starters, and Shea On A Mission was scratched by the track veterinarian.

Thursday was the first day Ortiz had ridden since the Clasico del Caribe card at Camarero (Puerto Rico) on Dec. 5, 2021, owing to a 30-day suspension for his actions in a pair of races at Aqueduct.

Ortiz rode two winners from five mounts on Thursday, and two winners from seven mounts on Friday prior to his injury.

Ortiz has won the past three Eclipse Awards as North America's champion jockey. He led all riders with 336 wins in 2021 and ranked second with 1,443 starts and $29,274,435 in purse earnings. He also won a personal best 36 graded stakes, 10 of them Grade 1 races.

Following the Clasico del Caribe, Ortiz remained in Puerto Rico before returning to South Florida to work horses, primarily for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs. He was named in 10 of 11 races Saturday and another eight on Sunday.

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Jaxon Traveler Takes On Baby Yoda In Monday’s $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint

West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner owned Jaxon Traveler will be making the journey to Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley Race Course this Monday, Nov. 22 to contest the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint. The Steve Asmussen trainee is a three time stakes winner and earlier this year found himself on the board in two graded stakes efforts.

His first graded effort came in the Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico where he finished second, one and a quarter lengths behind Mighty Mischief. Two starts later, he returned to graded company over the turf course at Saratoga in the Quick Call (G3) finishing third behind eventual Breeders Cup Turf Sprint (G1) victor Golden Pal.

Next out, Jaxon Traveler would cruise to an easy victory in the restricted Star De Naskra before returning to the turf in his most recent effort where he came up three quarters of a length short in the Allied Forces at Belmont.

“We have tried him a few times on the turf and he is certainly a bit more of a dirt horse but still runs well,” comments Toby Sheets, Assistant Trainer to Steve Asmussen. “He has been a very consistent horse for us and has been training good leading into this race.”

Never off the board in ten lifetime starts, the colt will have the services of Gerardo Corrales in the irons for the first time.

Boasting the highest Beyer number of not only this field but tied for the top spot in the United States in 2021 is Bill Mott-trained Baby Yoda who earned a 114 for his effort at Saratoga on Sept. 4.

If his name wasn't enough to catch the public eye, his back to back dominant performances this summer at Saratoga certainly were and led him to his first start in stakes company, the Vosburgh (G2) at Belmont, where he finished third to his older counterparts, grade one placed Following Sea and grade one winner Firenze Fire.

“Baby Yoda is a nice horse, a lot of fun to be around, and we have been slowly working him up the ladder,” states Mott. “He caught a tough field last out in the Vosburgh and after the race, we made the decision to point him towards the Steel Valley Sprint. It's a good purse and we will be in our own age group.” Owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable LLC, and Jerold L. Zaro, Baby Yoda will be entering this race looking for the first stakes win of his young career and will be reunited with jockey Jose Ortiz who rode him to both his victories at Saratoga.

Trainer Carlos David is entering the Steel Valley Sprint with stakes winner and grade two placed Real Talk, owned by Bell Racing LLC. Real Talk broke through with his first stake score on August 15 at Monmouth in the Jersey Shore setting the pace and pulling away to win by four and a half lengths.

After that performance it was on to graded company in the Gallant Bob (G2) where he finished third behind multiple grade one winner Jackie's Warrior and grade three winner Pickin' Time. Real Talk will have the return services of Paco Lopez.

Entering fresh off a win last out is Robert Reid, Jr. trained Beren who scored in statebred company at Penn National Race Course. Owned by St. Omer's Farm and Christopher J. Feifarek, Beren also boasts multiple stakes winning efforts against open company at Belmont Park and Parx and has the highest earnings in the field at $436,970. Regular rider Frankie Pennington will be aboard.

Rounding out the field is Kelly Breen trained Newbomb who ran a big race last out in allowance company at Belmont, Mister Luigi, Channel Fury, A Few Too Many, Timeless Bounty, Insofar, Kiltoom, and Ahimelech.

Scheduled to run just before the Steel Valley Sprint is the $75,000 Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff headlined by Todd Beattie trained multiple grade three winner Victim of Love who will find herself facing off against twelve other rivals.

The Steel Valley Sprint is schedule to go to post at 4:07 P.M. EST and will be part of a mandatory payout of the Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6 which starts in race 4 at approx. 2:08 P.M. EST. “We are excited to offer our handicappers added wagering value on the card with this mandatory payout of our Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6,” comments Rob Swedinovich, Vice President and General Manager. The Pick 6 sequence boasts an average field size before scratches of nine horses. Handicappers should also note that the stake is included in the Pick 4 sequence featuring a low 15% takeout which begins in race 6 at approx. 3:04 P.M. EST.

$250,000 STEEL VALLEY SPRINT

November 22, 2021

Race 8 – Post Time 4:07 P.M. EST

3yr, 6 Furlongs

PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer

1. Kiltoom, T.D. Houghton, 117, Crystal Richison

2. Beren, Frankie Pennington, 124, Robert E. Reid, Jr.

3. Jaxon Traveler, Gerardo Corrales, 124, Steven M. Asmussen

4. Baby Yoda, Jose L. Ortiz, 119, William I. Mott

5. Newbomb, Jose Lezcano, 121, Kelly J. Breen

6. Mister Luigi, Edgard J. Zayas, 117, Antonio Sano

7. Real Talk, Paco Lopez, 124, Carlos A. David

8. Channel Fury, Luis Raul Rivera, 117, James R. Jackson

9. A Few Too Many, TBA, 117, Michelle L. Elliott

10. Timeless Bounty, Malcolm Franklin, 117, David Wilson, Jr.

11. Ahimelech, Jeffrey Sanchez, 117, Jeffrey Skerrett

12. Insofar, Gabriel Lagunes, 117, Eduardo Caramori

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Peter D’s Journeyman Stud Juvenile Victory Gives Trainer Blanco First Stakes Win

Peter D provided Andry Blanco the first stakes win of his brief training career in Saturday's $60,000 Journeyman Stud Juvenile, scoring a 1 ½-length length victory over the Tapeta racing surface at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Journeyman Stud Juvenile, a mile-and-70-yard stakes for Florida-bred 2-year-olds on Tapeta, kicked off the stakes action on Saturday's 10-race program that also featured the $60,000 Khozan Juvenile Fillies Sprint, a six-furlong stakes for Florida-bred 2-year-old fillies, and the $60,000 Miami Beach, a mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

Peter D, a son of He's Had Enough who is also owned by Blanco, saved ground into the stretch before overtaking pacesetter Mr. Rum Runner and drawing away to a comfortable victory in his first race around two turns and over an all-weather surface.

“A friend of mine offered him to me. The horse breezed pretty well over the Tapeta at OBS. He showed me the horse and I liked him and put an offer in and bought him,” Blanco said.

Peter D ($11) won at first asking in a $25,000 maiden claiming race over Delaware Park's main track Aug. 26, before finishing an even-fifth in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach on turf at Gulfstream last time out. The Florida-bred gelding ran a mile and 70 yards in 1:44.67 under Leonel Reyes to break through with a stakes victory Saturday. Mr. Rum Runner, a maiden with two in-the-money finishes going into his first race on Tapeta, held second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of C My Meister, the 2-1 favorite in a field of eight.

Peter D was Blanco's fourth winner from the 40 starters he has saddled since launching his training career last year.

The 40-year-old Blanco arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela in 2003. He rode 49 winners from 381 mounts during a career that included a seven-year break between 2005 and 2013.

“I've been breaking babies at OBS and I've been pinhooking. I'm still doing it,” said Blanco, who is currently training a stable of four. “I gallop. I break my horses. I do everything with the horses.”

In the Khozan Juvenile Fillies Sprint, Palm Beach Racing Partnership's She's So Beautiful ($12.20) wore down favored Sea Art with a determined stretch drive to prevail by a neck.

The Carlos David-trained daughter of Air Force Blue, who had won two of four starts going into Saturday's race, stalked the pace while racing three-wide before responding to Samy Camacho's urging in the stretch to win her stakes debut. She's So Beautiful ran seven furlongs in 1:25.28.

Sea Art held second under Emisael Jaramillo, a neck ahead of late-closing Demurely, who was ridden by Luca Panici.

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