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Lightening Larry, Kathleen O. Record Gulfstream Sprint Stakes Victories

Lea Farms' Lightening Larry, second in back-to-back stakes to end his juvenile campaign, turned away previously undefeated favorite Of a Revolution at the top of the stretch and sprinted clear to a front-running half-length triumph in the $100,000 Limehouse Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The fifth running of the six-furlong Limehouse and the seventh renewal of the $100,000 Cash Run for fillies were among five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $550,000 in purses on a New Year's Day holiday program headlined by the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.

Lightening Larry ($8.60) broke alertly and quickly established command under regular rider Romero Maragh, going the opening quarter-mile in 21.75 seconds pressed by Concrete Glory with Of a Revolution settled in fourth on the inside. Maragh remained unmoved as Of a Revolution tipped out to launch a bid leaving the far turn.

“He was just sitting on him, so I felt pretty good turning for home because he hadn't asked him at all. When he did ask him, he responded,” winning trainer Jeff Engler said. “This horse just keeps getting better.”

Of a Revolution, a winner of both his 2-year-old starts, had the length of the stretch to get by but couldn't reel in Lightening Larry, who ran five furlongs in 56.59 before finishing up in a sharp 1:09.40 over a fast main track.

“I didn't expect to be in front, honestly. I thought [Bueno Bueno] would break on top, but we broke so sharp and he just got out there comfortable and just kicked on, which was really nice,” Engler said. “He's a super nice colt.”

Of a Revolution was a clear second, with O Captain, stakes winning filly Last Leaf, Concrete Glory and Bueno Bueno completing the order of finish.

By Uncaptured, the Sovereign Award winner as Canada's champion 2-year-old and Horse of the Year in 2012, Lightening Larry now has three wins and three seconds in seven lifetime starts. He ran second to subsequent Remington Springboard Mile winner Make It Big in the seven-furlong Juvenile Sprint Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and most recently the six-furlong Inaugural Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He's a grinder. He's a blue-collar horse that just goes out there and tries his heart out every time,” Engler said. “He lays it all on the line, and when he broke sharp I knew we were in a good spot.”

Engler said he has not settled on a next start for Lightening Larry. Upcoming dirt sprints for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream include the seven-furlong Claiborne Swale (G3) Feb. 5 and six-furlong Hutcheson March 19.

“We'll just see how he comes out of it and pick something from there,” Engler said.

Kathleen O. Powers Home a Winner in $100,000 Cash Run
Winngate Stables' Kathleen O., in just her second career race, overcame a poor start to sweep past horses on the far turn and power through the stretch to a 8 ½-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.

Handled by the Hall of Fame combination of jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Shug McGaughey, Kathleen O. ($6) completed about one mile in 1:35.97 over a fast main track to earn her second victory in as many tries. She raced once at 2, rallying from last for a head maiden special weight triumph in the slop Nov. 12 at Aqueduct.

“I was hoping she'd break better but she did that the first time. She didn't break that well and it takes her a few strides to get herself up underneath her,” McGaughey said. “Then when she does, [Castellano] said she was there and in a good flow. She got to horses in a hurry and finished up well, so I was very pleased with her. I think she's got a nice future in front of her.”

Breaking from Post 2 in a field of seven under Castellano, also aboard for her debut, Kathleen O. got shuffled back out of the gate and trailed the field as Mi Negrita led the group through splits of 22.74 and 44.94 seconds. Castellano began to let Kathleen O. roll in the clear three wide and she quickly began picking up horses, taking over the top spot from Mi Negrita once straightened for home.

“She has to come from behind. She showed first time in New York at Aqueduct on a sloppy track,” Castellano said. “I don't want to take that away because she doesn't want to be close to the pace. I let her do what she wants. I think Shug he did a great job with the horse. I think she's going to be a really good filly.”

Mi Negrita was a distant but determined second, followed by Fast and Flirty, Queen Camilla, Freccia d'Argento, Jumeirah and Surreal Fantasy.

“I think we've got a lot to look forward to,” McGaughey said. “I'm very pleased with the way she's come along and the way she ran today, and her maturity level. I was just saying to [my wife] Alison, think of what she's going to look like in a year from now. She's always been tall and she's still filling out.”

Kathleen O. is the first horse for Winngate's Patrick Kearney, a Chicago native who spent $275,000 for the dark bay or brown daughter of Upstart, millionaire winner of the 2015 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream. Kearney also has a 3-year-old Noble Mission colt named Cloudy, who went 0-for-2 in 2021.

“They're some people I've known for a while. I play golf with him and he kind of got to asking some questions last winter. I didn't know exactly where he was coming from, but then we ended up buying two horses. One of them is on the farm now but he'll be back, and this filly,” McGaughey said. “This is their first horse, so that worked out pretty good for them.”

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Gulfstream: Trio Of New Winners Top Wide-Open Cash Run

Three horses coming off sharp maiden wins and Jumeriah, already stakes-placed at the distance, help comprise a wide-open field of seven for Saturday's $100,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.

The seventh running of the Cash Run for fillies is among five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $550,000 in purses on a New Year's Day holiday program headlined by the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.

Post time for the first of 11 races is noon.

The Cash Run is the first of Gulfstream's stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the road to the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) April 2, followed by the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3) Feb. 5 and the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) March 5.

Surreal Fantasy, Kathleen O. and Fast and Flirty all enter the Cash Run off victories. Elena Racing and Gelfenstein Farm's Surreal Fantasy rebounded after running seventh in her Nov. 6 debut sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream to romp by 13 lengths in front-running fashion going a mile and 40 yards Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“First time out, very disappointed. We thought she was going to run a nice race. Then we tried to take an easy approach and sent her to Tampa to get some confidence going two turns, and she won quite well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I would have preferred to keep her at two turns, but there's nothing really around at the moment so we'll give her a shot and see how she performs this weekend.”

Joseph said he wasn't surprised at the dramatic improvement in Surreal Fantasy, a bay daughter of 2016 Wood Memorial (G1) winner Outwork and granddaughter of 1991 King's Bishop (G1) winner Forestry.

“We were kind of hoping for something like that first time out and I don't know why she ran so bad. We just couldn't come up with a reason,” Joseph said. “She trained so well before she ran, that's why we gave her one more shot. We were thinking maybe she might end up being turf if she trained that well and ran that poorly on the dirt.

“But, second time out she ran like how she trained. I don't know if it was class or two turns or what, but that's what we saw in the mornings and she duplicated that second time out,” he added. “We hope if she can run accordingly she can have a very good chance this week.”

Luis Saez is named to ride Surreal Fantasy from Post 3.

Joseph sent out a pair of winners Wednesday at Gulfstream to reach the 200 mark for the first time in a season that included nine graded-stakes victories led by Drain the Clock in the Woody Stephens (G1) and Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) and Mischevious Alex in the Carter (G1) and Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3). The Championship Meet's leading trainer with 17 wins, he also surpassed $9 million in purse earnings, another career high.

“We've had a great year,” Joseph said. “You depend on the owners and your team. The owners and your team, that's basically what makes a trainer. There's no two ways around it. You need the owners to supply the horses and you need the team to take care of them to the highest of standards. Thankfully we have both and, hopefully, we can keep continuing.”

Winngate Stables' Kathleen O. raced once at 2 for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The Upstart filly rallied from last, trailing by as many as 10 lengths after a half-mile, to edge Mischievous Diane by a head in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Nov. 12 at Aqueduct. Both the runner-up and Greatitude, who ran third, came back to win their next start, the latter by 2 ¾ lengths Dec. 19 at Gulfstream.

Like Surreal Fantasy, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Team Hanley's Fast and Flirty will be making her third start in the Cash Run. By Into Mischief, Fast and Flirty ran second over a sloppy Keeneland surface Oct. 15 in debut, then stalked and pounced to a popular 1 ¾-length maiden special weight score going a mile Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs.

“She's a nice filly. She's run a couple of nice races. She won her maiden at Churchill the last time and ran well so the mile at Gulfstream should be right up her street,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “I think she's going to improve, too. I don't think we've seen the best of her yet. If she improves a little bit it should give her a big chance.”

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the maiden win, gets a return call from Post 6.

“She was kind of late coming into us so it was that reason more than any that she was a little late getting to racetrack because she didn't really miss a whole lot once she got to us,” Walsh said. “She's worked good and she's improved all the way along. Hopefully she can improve a little bit more here and be able to run with these better fillies.”

Performance Horse's Jumeirah was beaten a neck as the favorite when second in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 9 at Gulfstream to undefeated Joseph trainee Amazing Trip. Junior Alvarado, who was up that day, will ride back from Post 5.

“She's doing really good. I thought she put up a good performance in the allowance race. She linked up with a nice filly of Saffie's that went on to the lead,” trainer Carlos David said. “It's all speed at Gulfstream Park, so the plan with Junior was to place her forwardly. She was the favorite that day and she gave us a good race, the first time with blinkers. She likes Gulfstream Park. It's her second time here at Gulfstream, so I think everything points toward a good performance again.”

Though stretching out off back-to-back sprints, Jumeriah has raced twice previously at a mile. She finished second by three lengths to Runup in the Sept. 6 Sorority at Monmouth Park and was a distant eighth to undefeated multiple Grade 1 winner Echo Zulu in the Oct. 3 Frizette (G3) at Belmont Park.

“It was a big day in New York and there was a lot of people. She just didn't handle it well. She got really hot and she washed out before the race. Junior rode her that time and he just told me that she washed out and left everything behind the gate,” David said. “She's run going a mile before so it's not going to be new for her. I think the one turn will favor her, so hopefully she'll get a win.”

Queen Camilla, fourth by 1 ¼ lengths last out in the Oct. 23 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream; Freccia d'Argento and Mi Negrita complete the field.

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Despite On-Track Success, Irad Ortiz Jr. Says ‘2020 Was Sad For Everyone,’ Hopeful About Year Ahead

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Gulf Coast successfully stretched out after a pair of sprints to start her career and became a stakes winner for the first time in Friday's $75,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The one-mile Cash Run for newly turned 3-year-old fillies was the second of three $75,000 stakes on the New Year's Day program, preceded by Imprimis winning the Janus for 4-year-olds and up and followed by Hear My Prayer's victory in the Abundantia for fillies and mares 4 and older, both sprinting on the turf.

Irad Ortiz Jr. swept all three stakes as part of a five-win afternoon to open the calendar year. The Championship Meet's two-time defending leading rider, Ortiz is favored to win a third straight Eclipse Award later this month as North America's champion jockey.

Ortiz began his big day notching back-to-back wins aboard 4-year-old first-time starter and 4-5 favorite Luann ($3.80) in Race 5 and 3-year-old filly Lionessofbrittany ($13.20) in Race 6.

“I have to thank all the trainers and owners for all the opportunities, honestly. Thank God, he keeps me healthy,” Ortiz said. “I'm living my dream right now. I'm so happy, all the trainers and owners they keep riding me. It's been a hard year to follow all the horses, and I just feel blessed.”

Ortiz led all North American jockeys with 300 wins and $21,050,726 in purse earnings in 2020, a year where racing was paused and reshuffled across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ortiz finished with 1,266 mounts, the fewest since his rookie year of 2011 (1,016).

At Gulfstream, he has led the Championship Meet standings with 135 wins in 2018-19 and 115 in 2019-20. He ranks second at the current stand which began Dec. 2, trailing Luis Saez, 34-30.

“Last year, we had a good year, but there were a lot of things going on, honestly. I lost my grandfather. 2020 was sad for everyone. A start like this, hopefully, we can start the new year and forget everything that was bad last year and get going with a regular life, hopefully,” Ortiz said.

“I always come here trying my best on all the horses. You never expect it, they just come up. I just keep riding and riding the whole day,” he added. “I try to win every time. Thank God, we got five winners.”

Gulf Coast ($6.40), a bay daughter of Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Union Rags trained by Rodolphe Brisset, completed the distance in 1:37.46 over a fast main track to win by a half-length over late-running Honorifique. It was 3 ¾ lengths back to Honorifique in third, followed by Shea D Summer, Orbs Baby Girl, Gladys, Sky Proposal and Quinoa Tifah.

“I think everything set up the way we were looking [for]. Irad got her in the clear after the first quarter, I think that was a good move,” Brisset said. “She's a pretty big filly and we were really looking forward to running her a little bit longer than we did the first two times.”

Adios Trippi, racing first time for Gulfstream-based trainer Peter Walder after two starts in the Mid-Atlantic at 2, was quickest from the gate and led through fractions of 23.08 seconds for a quarter-mile pressed by fellow long shot Orbs Baby Girl and 45.71 for the half, when previously undefeated stakes winner and 8-5 favorite Shea D Summer picked up the chase.

Breaking from Post 2 inside all but one of seven rivals, Ortiz let the speed go and raced in mid-pack before tipping into the clear three wide down the backstretch. Gulf Coast began passing horses with little urging around the far turn and was set down at the top of the lane, powering through the stretch to her second win from three starts.

Irad Ortiz swept the three stakes on Gulfstream Park's New Year's Day program, including the Cash Run aboard Gulf Coast

“I had a perfect trip. I broke good and was able to get my filly where she wants to be,” Ortiz said. “She was a little more comfortable outside. We were there and I took my time and when I asked her to run, she was there. She started picking it up from the half-mile all the way to the quarter pole. After that I worked hard on her and she kept going.”

“[Brisset] just told me, 'She's not going to give you anything easy, you're going to have to work for it.' I don't like to get in the horse's way, so I just got her out of there and let her find her stride on the backside,” he added. “We were back a little farther than we wanted early but she was comfortable. He said to ride her with confidence and give her the chance, and she did it.”

Gulf Coast broke her maiden Nov. 10 at Indiana Grand before overcoming some early trouble to be second in the Sandpiper Dec. 5 at Tampa Bay Downs, both going six furlongs. Brisset said Gulf Coast, purchased for $300,000 as a 2-year-old in training last March who began her career on the West Coast with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, will get some time leading up to her next start.

“We ran her back in 26 days, 27 days and that's not usually what we do, but we were looking for some black type,” Brisset said. “She showed class and quality to us, but now we've got the win in a stakes out of the way. I think two turns, yes, but I think six weeks, too.”

Cara Oliver's stakes winner Hear My Prayer ($21), who has typically raced on or near the lead through seven starts, split horses at the top of the stretch and came with a sweeping move on the outside through the lane to reel in Tracy Ann's Legacy and Lenzi's Lucky Lady and edge clear to a 2 ½-length victory in the Abundantia.

The winning time was 55.27 seconds over a firm turf course. It was the fourth career win and third from four starts on the grass at Gulfstream for Hear My Prayer, who is trained by David Fisher.

“She broke good, put me right there. The trainer said she was doing great,” Ortiz said. “She put me in a good position. I held her together and she relaxed and came back to me. She waited for the time to go, when I asked her turning for home, she responded.”

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‘Looking Forward To Running Her Longer’: Gulf Coast Gets Class Test In Friday’s Cash Run Stakes

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Gulf Coast, stakes-placed in one of two juvenile starts, will step up and stretch out for her sophomore debut in Friday's $75,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.

The one-mile Cash Run for 3-year-old fillies is among three $75,000 stakes on the New Year's Day program along with a pair of five-furlong turf sprints, the Abundantia for fillies and mares 4 and older and the Janus for 4-year-olds and up featuring the 7-year-old debut of multiple graded-stakes winner Imprimis.

First race post time is 12:05 p.m.

Gulf Coast, a bay daughter of 2012 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Union Rags, will be racing beyond six furlongs for the first time in the Cash Run, her second straight stakes after running second in the Sandpiper Dec. 5 at Tampa Bay Downs, overcoming some early trouble to get within two lengths of the winner.

The Sandpiper came barely three weeks after Gulf Coast debuted with a come-from-behind half-length maiden special weight triumph at Indiana Downs.

“She ran huge there. She wasn't settled perfectly in the gate and broke maybe a step slow and got bumped pretty hard,” trainer Rodolphe Brisset said. “We don't think the six furlongs is what she wants to do but, at that point, the black type is very attractive.

“She's very well-bred and she was showing all the signs she was ready to run again,” he added. “We decided to go in there and had a rough trip. Were we the best? Maybe, but I think she showed us that she can take the kickback [and] she can come from out of it, so we're really looking forward to running her longer.”

Purchased for $240,000 as a yearling in September 2019 and sold again for $300,000 as a 2-year-old in training in March, Gulf Coast began her career on the West Coast with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Out of the Candy Ride mare Sweet Success, she trained at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita before being sent to Brisset in Kentucky.

“She seemed like she was working OK when she was at Los Alamitos and when [Baffert] moved back to Santa Anita maybe she didn't like the track, but it didn't look like she was working good enough to run there. So, the ownership and Mr. Baffert decided to send her to us,” Brisset said.

“She actually arrived at our Turfway Park division first, thinking maybe we would run her there,” he added. “I worked her on the synthetic and I don't think she really cared for it, so we just decided to run her at Indiana and she won first time out pretty impressive.”

Brisset said despite her belated start, he wasn't surprised that Gulf Coast won first time out.

“Her works at Santa Anita were good enough where she was fit enough off the plane. I just worked her once and she went an easy three-eighths and just went in,” he said. “She just was showing every sign she was ready to run. Where she belonged we did not know and Indiana was a really good spot. We gave her a chance to show what she can do and she did it. She won pretty nice.”

Brisset was aboard when Gulf Coast breezed four furlongs in 48.55 seconds Dec. 23 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, the fastest of 11 horses. Two-time defending Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount in the Cash Run from Post 2 in a field of nine.

“We were keeping all our options open in the coming stakes for 3-year-olds. Actually the Cash Run was not really in the plans at first, but when the nominations came out, we thought we were pretty competitive in there,” Brisset said. “Then we worked her and she worked extremely good, and she came out of the work in good shape. We've got Irad, so all the signs are going where we should run. When you have a good jock and you have a horse show you she's doing good I just think it's time to go.”

Brisset said the Cash Run, named for the multiple graded-stakes winning mare whose victories included the 1999 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Gulfstream, is an ideal spot to launch Gulf Coast's season.

“We even feel like she got bigger and stronger and the extra time has been really good for her. I think we're going to bring her there with some confidence and see where she belongs,” he said. “If we think the added distance is going to be good for her, we kind of want to find out in the next two months where to point after that. So, Friday is going to be a good test distance-wise and probably quality-wise, too. She's going to have to face some better fillies, I'm sure, but we will bring her there and see what happens.”

Gulf Coast will face a pair of stakes winners in Quinoa Tifah and the undefeated Shea D Summer. Arindel's Quinoa Tifah won twice in two starts over Gulfstream's main track in 2020 including the seven-furlong Our Dear Peggy in front-running fashion Sept. 26 over Con Lima, who is being pointed to the $75,000 Ginger Brew on turf Jan. 2 at Gulfstream.

Luis Saez rides Quinoa Tifah for trainer Juan Alvarado from Post 6 at co-topweight of 122 pounds.

Shea D Boy's Stable's Shea D Summer, by Summer Front, will try open company for the first time after winning her only two starts of 2020, both against fellow Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park West. She debuted Oct. 7 with a one-length triumph going six furlongs and returned to capture the 6 ½-furlong Juvenile Fillies Sprint Nov. 14 over a sloppy track.

Jose Ortiz gets the riding assignment on Shea D Summer from Post 1.

Rounding out the field are last out maiden special weight winners Adios Trippi, Gladys, Honorifique and Orbs Baby Girl; Lucifers Lair, unraced since running last of five in the Adirondack (G2) Aug. 12 at Saratoga; and Sky Proposal, most recently third to Shea D Summer in the Juvenile Fillies Sprint.

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