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Florida HBPA Honors Dwoskin, Con Lima At Annual Awards Ceremony

The Florida HBPA held its annual General Nominating Meeting and Awards Dinner Saturday night at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., with nearly 100 owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms, and racing executives in attendance at Ten Palms. The guest speaker was the new President and CEO of the NTRA, Tom Rooney. The evening closed with the annual FHBPA Awards Ceremony. Host Ron Nicoletti announced the winners in nine categories.

“Each year, the Florida HBPA recognizes the horses that shine not just during the Championship Meet, but year-round in South Florida,” FHBPA President Stephen Screnci said. “All of our Champions competed at Gulfstream during the Royal Palm and Flamingo Festival meets that run from April through November.

“We also changed it up a little this year to honor one of our owners or trainers not just for their accomplishments on the racetrack, but also for their contributions to our community,” Screnci added. “Steve Dwoskin is our first FHBPA 'Person of Distinction,' and we couldn't have found a worthier candidate for the award.”

An owner and trainer in South Florida since 1969, Dwoskin has long been a partner with Sylvester Comprehensive Care Center, a part of the University of Miami Health System (UHealth). A generous donation to Sylvester helped to fund the Dwoskin Proton Therapy Center, which began treating patients with advanced and precise radiation therapy last September.

He is also the owner/trainer of this year's Champion Older Filly/Mare Choose Joy.

Dwoskin, who lost his father and brother to cancer, was emotional when he said, “I can handle most anything, but I couldn't handle it when my brother and my father got cancer. When I first got involved [with Sylvester], it was strictly for research, trying to find a cure for cancer. But I got pretty strong there, and I started helping people, friends, and family. If anyone from the horse industry ever needs help, I'm here for you. Helping people – that's what makes me feel really good.”

The complete list of the 2021 FHBPA Champions is:

Person of Distinction: Steve Dwoskin

Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Octane (Arindel, Owner; Carlos David, Trainer)

Two-Year-Old Filly: Outfoxed (LNJ Foxwoods, Owner; Bill Mott, Trainer)

Three-Year-Old Colt: Papetu (Magic Stables LLC, Owner; Antonio Sano, Trainer)

Three-Year-Old Filly: Con Lima (Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph F. Graffeo, Eric Nikolaus Del Toro, and Troy Johnson, Owner; Todd Pletcher, Trainer)

Older Horse/Gelding: Miles Ahead (David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa, Owner; Eddie Plesa, Trainer)

Older Filly/Mare: Choose Joy (Steve Dwoskin, Owner/Trainer)

Turf Horse/Gelding: Warrior's Pride (Just for Fun Stables, Owner; Antonio Cioffi, Trainer)

Turf Filly/Mare: Shifty She (Chris Pallas and Harvey Rothenberg, Owner; Saffie Joseph Jr., Trainer)

The Dinner also featured the nominations for the 2022 FHPBA Election, which will be announced next week.

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‘Late Bloomer’ Starship Nterprise Headlines Gulfstream’s Miss Gracie

Fresh off a stakes victory with Choose Joy in Sunday's Village of Biscayne Park, owner/trainer Steve Dwoskin is hoping that Starship Nterprise can take him back in the Gulfstream Park winner's circle in Saturday's $75,000 Miss Gracie, a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

The daughter of Honor Code, who had gone winless in her first eight starts, has emerged as a very promising stakes performer during the Spring/Summer Meet in her last three starts.

“She's a lot like Choose Joy,” said Dwoskin, who owns Starship Nterprise with long-time client Starship Stables. “She's also a late bloomer.”

Unlike Choose Joy, strictly a turf sprinter, Starship Nterprise has done her best running going long, both on turf and dirt.

Starship Enterprise was on the board in five of her first eight starts but didn't break through until winning a $50,000 maiden claiming race at a mile on turf May 23 at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred 3-year-old filly came right back to pull off a 33-1 upset victory in the Martha Washington at a mile on turf. She went on to show versatility in the off-the-turf Monroe, a mile stakes in which she led late before falling a neck short of holding off Key Biscayne, who's been competitive in Grade 1 and 2 races.

“I ran her in a claimer for $50,000 and she got her confidence there,” Dwoskin said. “She's working excellent. She worked Saturday very good, and we expect her to run good. She's ready to run.”

Miguel Vasquez, who was victorious aboard Starship Nterprise in the Martha Washington the only time he has ridden her, has the call Saturday.

Karl and Cathi Glassman's Restofthestory is entered to make her turf debut in the Miss Gracie after finishing first, second or third, in seven of eight career starts on dirt. The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained daughter of Jess's Dream, who finished second in the $400,000 FSS My Dear Girl last year, is coming off a second-place finish in the seven-furlong Azalea.

Hector Berrios has the mount on the Florida-bred filly.

Leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is represented by three entrants in the Miss Gracie field – Peachtree Stable's Champagne Ivy, Sayjay Racing LLC and Greg Hall's Cultured, and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Tik Tok Famous.

Champagne Ivy, who finished fifth in the Martha Washington, is coming off an Aug. 6 maiden special weight score at a mile on turf; Cultured will be making her first start since finishing off the board behind Grade 1 winner Con Lima in the May 1 Honey Ryder; Tik Tok Famous finished eighth in the Martha Washington following a slow start.

Edgard Zayas, Edwin Gonzalez and Emisael Jaramillo will ride Champagne Ivy, Cultured and Tik Tok Famous, respectively.

Philip DiCosmo's Sunshine City, Stephen Screnci's Kate's Kingdom and Clap Embroidery's Frankie's Girl round out the field.

Saturday's 12-race program has a 12:20 p.m. first race post and includes six races scheduled on the turf.

Racing returns to Gulfstream Friday with a guaranteed pool in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 of $600,000.

The Rainbow 6 kicks off with the fifth race, a claiming event for 3-year-olds and up at a mile on the main track. The sequence will include three turf races, a maiden special weight event at six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies, and a $62,500 allowance optional claimer at six furlongs featuring 2020 Gotham (G3) runner-up Untitled, Hutcheson winner Willy Boi, third-place Nashua (G3) finisher Isolate, and Challenger (G3) winner Trophy Chaser, making his first start in 16 months.

First race post is 2 p.m.

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Choose Joy Best In Village of Biscayne At Gulfstream

Trainer Steve Dwoskin's Choose Joy, a multiple-stakes winner carrying highweight of 125 pounds, rallied from off the pace to score yet another thoroughly professional victory in Sunday's $60,000 Village of Biscayne Park Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The burgeoning turf-sprint star, who conceded between eight and 11 pounds to her five rivals, is a nose and a neck away from being undefeated in her six starts on turf following her length victory in Sunday's five-furlong overnight handicap for fillies and mares.

“She's a late-bloomer,” Dwoskin said. “She's been a different horse since getting on the turf.”

Choose Joy rated off a swift early pace set by Cat's Astray, who set fractions of :21.87 and :43.98 for a half-mile, before staging a three-wide rally into the stretch and drawing clear under Miguel Vasquez.

The 4-year-old daughter of Munnings ran five furlongs on a firm turf in :55.65. Hey High Pockets closed with a rush to finish second, a neck ahead of a tiring Cat's Astray.

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