Jess’s Dream Gelded, Will Pursue Under-Saddle Career For Stonestreet

Jess's Dream (Curlin), a son of Hall of Fame mare Rachel Alexandra, has been retired from stud duty at Florida's Ocala Stud and gelded accorded to a social media post from Stonestreet Farm.

Posted to X, the message reads: “Jess's Dream (Curlin x Rachel Alexandra) has been retired from duty & is healthy & happy at the Stonestreet Training Center where he will begin his third career as our track pony. He has been gelded & we look forward to restarting him under tack in the new year.”

A winner and 'TDN Rising Star' in his only career start at Saratoga, Jess's Dream entered stud in 2017 and was a top sire in Florida. His progeny include Suncoast S. winner Dreaming of Snow and stakes winners Beth's Dream and Intrepid Daydream.

 

 

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Champion Wonder Wheel Tops Kentucky Oaks Nominations

D J Stable's Eclipse Award and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) is the marquee name among 103 sophomore fillies that were nominated at the first entry stage for the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, to be run beneath the Twin Spires Friday, May 5, 2023.

The first stage of nominations closed Feb. 18, with a $200 payment. Any 3-year-old filly not among the original entries can become eligible with a fee of $1,500 due no later than Saturday, Apr. 15.

Wonder Wheel was four-for-five during her championship season in 2022, scoring in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. before prevailing by three lengths on Breeders' Cup Friday. The strapping dark bay made her seasonal debut in the Feb. 11 Suncoast S. at Tampa, where she missed by a neck to longshot and fellow Oaks aspirant Dreaming of Snow (Jess's Dream).

Others that figure prominently among the entries include 'TDN Rising Star' Julia Shining (Curlin), the full-sister to champion Malathaat who won last year's GII Demoiselle S. and was third in the Suncoast; Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), winner of Churchill's GII Golden Rod S. last November; 'Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), upset winner of last weekend's GII Rachel Alexandra S.; recent G3 UAE Oaks victress Mimi Kakushi (City of Light); and the progressive GIII Forward Gal S. winner Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance).

A complete list of the Oaks nominees will be available here in due course.

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The Week in Review: At Tampa Bay Downs, An Unlikely Win for the ‘Little Guy’

As the field turned for home in Saturday's Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, Dreaming of Snow (Jess's Dream), trained by Gerald Bennett, had the lead, but it sure looked like she'd never hold on. It wasn't just that she was 38-1 and had been pressed most of the way, it was who was chasing her, monsters from the stables of super trainers Mark Casse and Todd Pletcher in Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) and Julia Shining (Curlin). Could a horse from the barn of a 78-year-old claiming trainer who had won all of two graded stakes in his career and none in 33 years, possibly pull this off?

She could and she did.

In what was arguably the biggest upset of the year in a major race, Dreaming of Snow, who was a tiring fourth in the seven-furlong Gasparilla S. in her previous start, defeated champion Eclipse Award winner Wonder Wheel by a neck in the Suncoast. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to Julia Shining in third. In what has become more and more rare in this sport, a David beat not one, but two Goliaths.

“To win a race like this, that's what you dream of,” Bennett said.

Though Bennett, entering Sunday, had 4,090 winners, 14th best among all North American trainers, he has always operated well outside the spotlight. Born in Nova Scotia, he began training in his native Canada in 1976 and in 2021 became the winningest Canadian-born trainer of all time. He moved on to the now-defunct Michigan circuit, where he became a force at places like Detroit Race Course and Hazel Park and, later on, Great Lakes Downs. In the late eighties and in 1990, Bennett got a brief taste of what it was like to win at the highest level when he campaigned Beau Genius (Bold Ruckus), whose 13 career stakes wins included victories in the GI Philip H. Iselin H. and the GII Michigan Mile and One-Eighth H. He has not won a graded stakes since Beau Genius's win in the 1990 Iselin at Monmouth Park.

At an age when a lot of trainers would be slowing down, Bennett has been enjoying some of his best years. He is leading the current standings at Tampa Bay Downs, where he will be seeking his eighth straight training title. He has won 830 career races at Tampa, where, when it comes to the higher-class races, it's not unusual to see shippers from the top stables based at Gulfstream.

“Those guys ship in here all the time,” Bennett said. “You have to have a nice horse who can compete with them. It was a great thrill to do that, to beat those guys. The last time it happened for me was quite a few years ago, in 2002, in the Super S. Mark Casse had a horse named Exciting Story, who had just won the Met Mile. We beat him and set a track record. That was another great thrill.”

On paper, Dreaming of Snow didn't appear to have much of a chance. She had never run beyond seven furlongs or around two turns and she was coming off what looked like a lackluster effort in the Gasparilla. In Wonder Wheel and Julie Shining, she would be facing two of the best 3-year-old fillies in training. But Bennett was convinced she could win this race.

“When we ran her in seven-eighths race [the Gasparilla], she sat back and we tried to make a run with her,” he said. “The track here, they had a lot of rain and they hadn't bladed it for a while. The track got biased favoring the outside. The inside was extremely deep for a while and that's where she was in that race. Anybody who was down on the inside couldn't finish. She ran an even race last time. But we have been high on this filly from the start and always thought she'd be a nice horse. I thought she had a shot [in the Suncoast].”

Dreaming of Snow was purchased for $60,000 at the 2022 OBS March sale. It was more than Bennett usually pays.

“I go to the sale and buy these horses for $17,500, for $25,000,” he said. “We paid $60,000 for this one. I like going to the June sale in Ocala. It seems like you get more value there and don't have to overpay for them. If they run well and get a big number, usually I'll sell them.”

Some, no doubt, will consider the Suncoast result to be a fluke. Bennett doesn't see it that way. He believes that Dreaming of Snow is a legitimate contender for the GI Kentucky Oaks and is looking to run her next in the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn Apr. 1.

“When she turned for home, she drew off a bit,” he said. “She's a fighter and she wouldn't let them pass her. Wonder Wheel was the class of the race and had all the hype. [Casse] had been preparing for this race for a while. He said she got tired, but the jockey was whipping on her well before the wire. You can't take anything away from our horse. She ran a monster race and she wasn't tired. In the winner's circle, she wouldn't have blown out a match.”

Asmussen Vs. Suarez

Steve Asmussen was bearing down on the 10,000-win milestone last week. Entering Sunday's races, he had 9,996 career wins, a remarkable total and one that will surely keep growing for many years to come as Asmussen is just 57. But he still has a way to go before he can be crowned as the winningest trainer in the history of the sport.

That title still belongs to Peruvian trainer Juan Suarez. As of Saturday, Suarez had 10,328 wins. However, Asmussen is gaining on him. Since Aug. 8, 2021, when Asmussen moved past Dale Baird to become the winningest trainer in the history of North American racing, Asmussen has had 440 winners while Suarez has had 332. While Asmussen is always active at several tracks in the U.S., Suarez's opportunities are limited since there is only one track in Peru, Hipodromo de Monterrico.

A Slow Race Or Not, Hit Show Impressed

The loaded Brad Cox-barn won another stakes race with a 3-year-old colt when Hit Show (Candy Rude {Arg}) captured Saturday's GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct. But what should we make of the time? He covered the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:54.71 and the final three furlongs were run in a leisurely :41.36.

That's not a reflection on Hit Show, but how slow the Aqueduct main track has been over the last few weeks. On the same card as the Withers, 3-year-old sprinters needed 1:13.09 to complete the Jimmy Winkfield S. On the day before the Withers, a mile-and-an-eighth race went in 1:59.04. Granted it was an $8,000 claiming race, but that very well could be the slowest time for the distance ever at a NYRA track.

Hit Show was given a 91 Beyer figure for his effort.

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Longshot Dreaming Of Snow Takes Suncoast S.

Since breaking her maiden at Colonial Downs last September, Dreaming of Snow has been a Florida girl, contesting three straight at Tampa Bay Downs including an 8 1/2-length win against optional claimers two starts back Dec. 17. Fourth in the Gasparilla S. Jan. 14 behind a pair ofrivals she faced Saturday, the $60,000 OBS March grad was let go as an unconvincing 38-1 shot against newly crowned Eclipse champion Wonder Wheel and GII Demoiselle S. winner Julia Shining.

Undeterred by the falling rain and hustled to the front after brief contact with Champagne Calling (Empire Maker) to her inside at the break, Dreaming of Snow tucked in against the rail continued to set the tempo up the backstretch, opening up nearly a length on the field as the opening half went in :47.07. Challenged by a three-wide Wonder Wheel as the field exited the far turn, Dreaming of Snow refused to give in, fighting gamely on the rail to hold off the champ and a closing Julia Shining for the win.

“I know this filly well and when I got on her in the morning for the first time, I told [trainer Gerald Bennett] I have to stay on her,” said winning jockey Samy Camacho. “She's pretty nice, but I never thought she would run two turns like this. She came back again when Wonder Wheel came to her. I beat Wonder Wheel– Wow! I'm pretty happy!”

Snow Fashion has a 2-year-old colt, Snowname (The Big Beast) and foaled another colt, Keep On Snowing (Valiant Minister), last year but was not reported bred for 2023.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

SUNCOAST S., $150,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-11, 3yo, f,
1m 40y, 1:40.18, ft.
1–DREAMING OF SNOW, 120, f, 3, by Jess's Dream
                1st Dam: Snow Fashion, by Old Fashioned
                2nd Dam: Snow Lass, by Stormy Atlantic
                3rd Dam: Keri's Snowman, by Frosty the Snowman
($35,000 Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $60,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR).
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Team Equistaff, LLC & Winning
Stables, Inc.; B-Karyn Philipp (FL); T-Gerald S. Bennett; J-Samy
Camacho. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, $170,850.
*1/2 to Montauk Daddy (Daddy Long Legs), SP, $407,329.
2–Wonder Wheel, 124, f, 3, Into Mischief–Wonder Gal,
by Tiz Wonderful. ($275,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable
LLC; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC & Clearsky Farms (KY);
T-Mark E. Casse. $20,000.
3–Julia Shining, 124, f, 3, Curlin–Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy.
O/B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $10,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, 7. Odds: 38.00, 0.50, 2.30.
Also Ran: Opus Forty Two, Charlie's Wish, Champagne Calling, Fast Tracked, Ticker Tape Home. Scratched: Guns n' Graces.

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