Isaacs Returning to FTBOA Board

Edited Press Release

Well-respected Florida horseman George Isaacs has returned to the board of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association after a brief absence due to term limits. Laurine Fuller-Vargas of Morriston, George Russell of Reddick, T. Paul Bulmahn of Ocala and Nick de Meric of Ocala were re-elected to the board. They will each serve a three-year term that will run until October 2024. Leaving the board because of term limits is Richard Kent of Kaizen Sales.

Isaacs is a past FTBOA board member and officer, who became stallion manager at Arthur Appleton's Bridlewood Farm in Ocala in 1989 before becoming the general manager for Allen Paulson's Brookside South Farm in 1992. In 1996, Isaacs returned to Bridlewood as general manager and currently manages operations there with John and Leslie Malone, who purchased the farm in 2013. During his tenure at Bridlewood, more than 100 Florida-bred stakes winners and 12 Grade 1 winners have been bred by the farm.

Valerie Dailey of Ocala, a breeder, realtor, executive and most recently the first vice president of FTBOA, was elected president of the Association at the board meeting that followed the Oct. 22 annual member meeting.

The board also selected the remaining executive committee officers for 2021-22 with Dailey as president while Isaacs was named first vice president. Russell was named second vice president and Brent Fernung will serve as treasurer. Joseph O'Farrell III has been elected as the secretary and Phil Matthews, D.V.M. remains an officer and director as immediate past president.

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Outfoxed The Star Attraction In Saturday’s Florida Sire Series My Dear Girl

Anticipation for Outfoxed's next start began building the very instant the Bill Mott-trained filly crossed the finish line 13 ½ lengths clear of her competition in her FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series debut Aug. 28 at Gulfstream Park

The visually stunning and utterly dominating manner in which she graduated in the $200,000 Susan's Girl immediately raised the question: What could LNJ Foxwoods' 2-year-old filly possibly do for an encore?

The question is about to be answered.

Outfoxed is scheduled to make her highly anticipated return to action in Saturday's $400,000 My Dear Girl at Gulfstream Park, where the 1 1/16-mile FSS finale for juvenile fillies will co-headline Saturday's program with the $400,000 In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile open division FSS finale.

The Florida-bred filly, who was purchased for $360,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale, looked like a bargain buy while making her second career start in the seven-furlong second leg of the lucrative series for juveniles sired by accredited Florida stallions.

After taking some coaxing to load into the gate, Outfoxed settled off the pace under Edgard Zayas before making an eye-catching five-wide sweep on the turn into the stretch and drawing off with complete authority. She ran seven furlongs in 1:23.81, more than a second faster than it took Octane to complete the distance of the FSS Affirmed against colts and geldings two races later.

Did the manner in which she overwhelmed her 10 rivals in the Susan's Girl prompt her connections to consider bypassing the My Dear Girl in favor of running her in a graded stakes elsewhere?

“We never really discussed it,” Mott said. “Everyone agreed we'd take advantage of the races available to her. She's eligible for these spots, and that's what was decided.”

It would have been understandable if Outfoxed's connections had decided to run her in a graded-stakes, considering that she entered the Susan's Girl off a late-closing third-place finish behind Echo Zulu in a Saratoga maiden special weight race. Echo Zulu went on to win the Spinaway (G1) in her next start.

“We liked her first race at Saratoga,” Mott said. “Even though she didn't win, she closed well.”

Could her dazzling graduation in the Susan's Girl have come a bit too easy for Outfoxed with reference to her preparedness for the My Dear Girl?

“Obviously, you don't know how she's going to do but, if it's the same group, I figure she did enough [last time],” Mott said. “A lot of times, you can be confused. It looks like they're doing it easy, but they still have to run.”

Gulfstream-based trainer Ralph Nicks, a former Mott assistant, has been overseeing Outfoxed's preparation for her return.

“She's had a couple works. She had a decent work the other day [with Ralph],” Mott said. “The first one was pretty easy, but she had a pretty good one the other day.”

Even at her very best, Outfoxed will need to prove she can reproduce the brilliance she showed in the Susan's Girl in a two-turn race such as the My Dear Girl.

“I'm not worried too much. It looks like it shouldn't be too much of a problem the way she ran the other day, but they always have to do it,” Mott said. “But she went seven-eighths the other day and she went pretty well.”

Outfoxed is the first winner for her first-crop sire Valiant Minister, a $680,000 son of Candy Ride who retired from racing after winning his six-furlong debut at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert in January 2017.

Zayas has the return call on Outfoxed, who drew the No. 1 post position.

Champion Equine LLC's My Sassenach, who was victorious in the first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series, will seek to improve on a distant third-place finish in the Susan's Girl Saturday. The David Braddy-trained daughter of Uncaptured raced in traffic before closing to finish third in the Susan's Girl.

My Sassenach graduated in the six-furlong FSS Desert Vixen, shaking off a bumping incident at the start before romping to an 8 ¼-length triumph.

Miguel Vasquez has the return call on the filly who finished second in her debut prior to entering the FSS series.

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Chacalosa will be the new FSS face Saturday while making her Gulfstream debut off an open-stakes victory in the Arlington Lassie. The daughter of Jess's Dream graduated with a late-closing 36-1 upset victory in the seven-furlong sprint over Arlington Park's synthetic surface for owner/trainer Earl Hughes. The Florida-bred filly, who was winless in her two previous career starts, is scheduled to make her debut for Arlington Park's leading trainer Larry Rivelli in the My Dear Girl.

Emisael Jaramillo is slated to ride the Arlington invader for the first time Saturday.

Trainer Daniel Pita's Devilette, who set the pace before being overwhelmed by Outfoxed, will seek to improve on her second-place finish while trying two turns for the first time.

Pita, who saddled Princess Secret for a victory in last year's My Dear Girl, has awarded the return mount aboard Khozan-sired Devilette to Cristian Torres.

Trainer Michael Yate's Cajun Cousin is scheduled to make her stakes debut in the My Dear Girl following a second-place finish in an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream.

“She's training fabulous. She has had three sprint races. She broke her maiden for a tag and came back in an A-other-than and finished second,” Yates said. “We thought the [Susan's Girl] was too quick back. We just wanted to train up to the mile-and-a-sixteenth and see what happens.”

Jesus Rios has the call aboard the daughter of Cajun Breeze.

Trainer Roger Laurin's Veiled Prophet, who finished fifth in the Susan's Girl, enters the My Dear Girl off a second-place maiden special weight finish. The daughter of Uncaptured had previously finished second in her first two career starts prior to her off-the-board finish in the second FSS leg.

Luca Panici has the mount.

Wendell Yates and Ronald Brown's Sequin Lady, who is winless in two starts, and Arindel's Baby Blue, a three-race maiden, round out the field.

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Starship Jubilee Named Florida HOTY

Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), a three-time Sovereign Award winner and Canada's Horse of the Year in 2019, was named Florida-bred Horse of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. She also took home honors ad the Florida-bred champion older female and champion turf female for the third time in four years.

Owned by Adam Corndorf and Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm and trained by Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee won her first four starts as a 7-year-old, taking the GIII Suwannee River S., the GII Hillsborough S. and GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga before finishing fourth to champion Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the GI Diana S. The bay bounced back with a defeat of the boys in the GI Woodbine Mile, but stumbled at the start of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, unseating jockey Florent Geroux. The bay mare earned better than $921,000 in 2020 and her career earnings of $2,093,069 ranks as the sixth-most by a Florida-bred female and she is the 35th richest Florida-bred in history. Starship Jubilee's dam Perfectly Wild (Forest Wildcat) was named broodmare of the year.

Other divisional winners included:

  • 2-year-old male: Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), winner of the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint;

 

  • 2-year-old female: Princess Secret (Khozan), victorious in the 2020 Susan's Girl S. and My Dear Girl S. in the Florida Stallion Stakes series;

 

  • 3-year-old male: GI Bing Crosby S. hero Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy);

 

  • 3-year-old filly: Speech (Mr Speaker), winner of the GI Central Bank Ashland S.

 

  • Champion Sprinter/Older Male: C Z Rocket (City Zip);

 

  • Champion Female Sprinter: Lady's Island (Greatness)

 

  • Champion Turf Male: March to the Arch (Arch)

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Campbells, O’Connell Bring A ‘Smile’ Into Saturday’s Florida Sire Series

Gil and Marilyn Campbell's Stonehedge LLC and trainer Kathleen O'Connell will seek to continue longstanding success in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series Saturday when they send out Silver Smile for a start in the $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream Park.

The Desert Vixen, a six-furlong sprint for fillies, will co-headline Saturday's program with the $100,000 Dr. Fager, a six-furlong open division dash, as the annual series for juveniles sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida gets underway. A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover pool will also be featured on the program.

O'Connell has saddled 11 of the Campbells' 15 Florida Sire Stakes race winners, including Scandalous Act, who swept the 2013 series for fillies, and Blazing Sword, who won two legs of the open division series in 1996 to launch a multiple graded stakes-winning career.

“I'm very proud of the association I've had with them. It's been over 25 years. We've had a good run. They're wonderful people. They understand the ups and downs of the game. They've brought a lot into the program for Florida-breds,” said O'Connell, who ranks second all-time among women trainers with 2,263 winners. “I wish them nothing but good luck whoever has their horses.”

The Campbells, who will be represented in the Dr. Fager by Michael Yates-trained homebreds Dean Delivers and Cajun's Magic, bred Silver Smile, a daughter of freshman sire Long Island Sound.

Silver Smile (7-2) is scheduled to make her second start Saturday after registering a dominating 4 ¼-length debut victory in front-running fashion June 3 at Gulfstream Park.

“She's trained very well,” O'Connell said. “I think we're all at a handicap because we can't get more educational races between breaking their maiden and the stakes. It's not like it used to be, but we're all in the same spot.”

Silver Smile, who will take on 10 fillies in a lightly raced field, will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, who was aboard or her successful debut.

Breeze Easy LLC and trainer Joe Orseno, who will be represented in the Dr. Fager by highly regarded Hope in Him, will send out Stone Beauty ((9-2) for a start in the Desert Vixen. The daughter of Neolithic withstood early pressure before drawing clear by 1 ¾ lengths in her July 16 career debut at Gulfstream.

“When I got her, she was going through a growth spurt. I thought, 'Maybe she's not going to make it.' But she's really come around. She ran really well for me the first time. I think she'll move forward off that race, because I didn't have her really cranked up where I wanted her to be. But I knew if we were going to make the sire stakes, we needed to run her. Everybody was all for it, and now we're going to run in both,” Orseno said. “This is the first time I've run a horse in both races.”

Stone Beauty was purchased by Breeze Easy's Mike Hall and Sam Ross for $130,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale, a month after they made the winning bid of $190,000 for Hope in Him at the OBS March sale.

“We didn't quite plan on going as high as we did, but we thought that she was a Florida Sire Stakes prospect,” Orseno said. “The owners have been wanting horses for the Florida program. They're standing a stallion in Florida [Curlin's Honor]. They race all over, but they're supporting Florida. They wanted a filly that would fit the bill.”

Samy Camacho has the return mount aboard Stone Beauty.

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Like Silver Smile and Stone Beauty, trainer Roger Laurin's Demurely (8-1) will enter the Desert Vixen off a sharp debut victory. The daughter of Uncaptured rallied from off the pace under returning jockey Chantal Sutherland to capture her May 28 debut by 2 ½ lengths.

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Noble Dreamer, who finished second behind Demurely, will enter the Desert Vixen off a sharp 7 ½-length triumph in front-running fashion June 18. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained filly is 2-1 in the morning line and one of four daughters of Noble Bird, a Grade 1 stakes-winning freshman stallion, entered in the Desert Vixen.

Joseph will also be represented by Joseph Imbesi's Solar Girl, a daughter of Greenpointcrusader who finished off the board in her recent debut.

Edgard Zayas has the return call on Noble Dreamer, while J. C, Diaz Jr. will ride Solar Girl.

Quintessential Racing Florida LLC, Rocky Top Stable and Tara Sweeney's Royal Rocker is slated to bring two-race experience into the Desert Vixen, in which the daughter of Noble Bird will seek to graduate. The Mark Casse trainee, who was narrowly beaten while finishing second in her June 20 debut at Gulfstream, most recently finished third after experiencing trouble at the start and setting a fast pace into the stretch July 17.

Quintessential Racing Florida LLC and Casse will also be represented in the Desert Vixen field by a pair of Noble Bird-sired first-time starters, Rufa Red Knot and Ukiyo.

Cristian Torres has been named to ride Royal Rocker, while Luca Panici and Leonel Reyes are slated to guide Rufa Red Knot and Ukiyo, respectively.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Rachel's Rock is also scheduled to make her first career start in the Desert Vixen, in which the daughter of Jess's Dream will seek to provide her owner/breeder Fred Brei with his record 20th Florida Sire Stakes win.

Trainer Ralph Nicks named Jesus Rios to ride the Jacks or Better Farm Inc. homebred filly.

Blazing Meadows Farm LLC's Soul Flight and Champion Equine's My Sassenach, both coming off second-place finishes, will seek to graduate in the Desert Vixen.

The Florida Sire Stakes series will will continue Aug. 28 with the $200,000 Affirmed and the $200,000 Susan's Girl for fillies, both slated for seven furlongs, and Sept. 25 with the $400,000 In Reality and the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies, both to be run around two turns at 1 1/16 miles.

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