Clapton | Horse Racing Free Tips

Red Oak Stable's Make It Big overcame a slow start and traffic to capture Saturday's $60,000 Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint, capping a four-win day for both trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and jockey Edgard Zayas at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

In addition, Make It Big, the 4-5 favorite in the seven-furlong sprint for Florida-bred 2-year-olds, was Joseph's 12th winner from his last 21 starters, including two winners at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and one at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

“Racing is a streaky game. We had a slow Saratoga. It was our first year in New York and we won two Grade 1s, two Grade 3s, and then you go through a slow Saratoga and people like to forget. It's amazing how people can throw you away so quick, and then want you when you get hot,” said Joseph, who also won Saturday's Hudson Handicap at Belmont with Ny Traffic. “You just try to stay steady and try to overcome. You're always going to hit hot spells and you're always going to hit slow spells. My job is to keep the team together, so that when we're down, we keep our heads together. It's always going to level out at the end of the year. You're never going to win a 40 or 30 percent consistently. You're always going to level out and be at 21, 22 [percent]. It's going to go through spells, and you just try and get through them.”

Prior to scoring with Make It Big, Joseph and Zayas teamed for victories with Sister Lou Ann ($4) in Race 3, Jeha ($9.80) in Race 4, and Fate of Ophelia ($17.40) in Race 7.

“Edgard rides a lot for us, and he rides a good race,” Joseph said. “He's a big part of the team.”

Make It Big, who was coming off an 8 ½-length front-running debut victory at Gulfstream three weeks ago, broke a step slowly from his rail post position before assuming a stalking position along the rail behind pacesetter Just Leo, a full brother to multiple graded-stakes winner Firenze Fire, along the backstretch and into the far turn. Just Leo, who set early fractions of :23.08 and :46.31, tired on the turn into the homestretch as Lightening Larry made a three-wide sweep to the lead entering the stretch with Make It Big still trapped behind horses.

Lightening Larry kicked in through the stretch under Romero Maragh but was unable to hold off Make It Big, who launched an outside rally after Zayas finally found running room at the top of the stretch.

“Last time, he broke on the lead, and I didn't expect him to be on the lead. Today was much different,” Joseph said. “He broke; he was behind; he had a tough trip; and he was able to overcome it. I think he's a horse that's going to progress. As the distances get longer, I think he's going to get better.”

Make It Big, a son of Neolithic, ran seven furlongs in 1:25. Lightening Larry held second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Clapton.

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Arindel's Key Biscayne rallied from well off the pace to capture Saturday's $75,000 Monroe Stakes at Gulfstream Park, providing jockey Chantal Sutherland with her fourth victory of the day.

“I'm so grateful. I'm grateful to God, and I'm grateful to Gulfstream for being so amazing,” said Sutherland, who was greeted by an enthusiastic round of cheers from fans in the grandstand and on the apron upon her return to the winner's circle. “It's been really nice here.”

Riding for the first time during the Spring/Summer Meet at Gulfstream, Sutherland continued to make her presence felt Saturday with victories aboard Hot Babe ($5.20) in Race 3, Hard Ten ($2.80) in Race 8, and Clapton ($20.20) in Race 9 prior to her victory aboard Key Biscayne ($14.40) in the Race 10 feature. The 45-year-old native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who has ridden more than 1100 winners during her career, sits seventh in the Spring/Summer Meet standings with 30 wins.

“I'm so happy it's worked out the way it did. Thanks to [trainer] Kenny McPeek, who helped me get fit to do this during the winter,” said Sutherland, who had taken time off due to the Covid-19 pandemic before galloping and breezing horses for McPeek during Gulfstream's Championship Meet.

Key Biscayne, who raced in tough stakes company on turf last year while finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Lake Placid, third in the Saratoga Oaks, and fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, was hardly disadvantaged when the Monroe, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares, was transferred to the main track. The homebred 4-year-old daughter of Brethren was previously undefeated in two races transferred to dirt, having broken her maiden over a fast Gulfstream Park track and rolling to a dominating allowance victory at Belmont last year.

Key Biscayne settled of a solid early pace set by Thissmytime, the 3-5 favorite, who showed the way during fractions of :22.80 and 46.10 seconds for the first half-mile. Starship Nterprise made a strong move on the turn into the homestretch to pull alongside the tiring pacesetter and took a lead into the stretch. Meanwhile, Key Biscayne was making a three-wide sweep on the final turn to enter contention. Starship Nterprise, who captured the Martha Washington on turf last time out, kicked in nicely in the stretch but would prove unable to hold off the wide-and-driving Key Biscayne, who scored by a neck in her second start of the year.

“I had worked her and I worked another horse I've won on for Arindel. I loved how they worked,” said Sutherland. “I had so much confidence going into the race. I just love the way she handles everything.”

Key Biscayne ran the one-turn mile over a fast track in 1:36.90. Global Brand finished third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Starship Nterprise. Thissmytime finished fourth.

Key Biscayne and Clapton were two of three winners that were owned and bred by Arindel. They also won the fourth race with Gilligan.

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