Grand Sonata Leads 1-2 Pletcher Finish In Dania Beach; ‘Field Filler’ Alittleloveandluck Takes Ginger Brew

The photo-finish ending to Saturday's $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park was one that trainer Todd Pletcher never had to sweat. That's because the one-two finishers — Grand Sonata and Chanceux — are both in the care of the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track's leading trainer each of the past 18 years.

“I felt bad for the other horse, though,” Pletcher said of front-running Chanceux after Grand Sonata nipped his stablemate at the wire in the one-mile turf stakes. “He ran his heart out. Just got nailed the last jump. But both horses ran great.”

Under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Grand Sonata put in a determined bid in late stretch to barely get past Chanceux.

“He's got a tremendous turn of foot, so we were relying on that,” Gaffalione said. “I could tell around the turn I had a ton of horse.”

Jockey Luis Saez sent Chanceux through soft opening fractions and nearly had enough left in the tank at the end to prevail. But Grand Sonata was just a tick better, closing late to get his head in front at the wire for his first stakes win.

Grand Sonata, a 3-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro and owned by Whisper Hill Farm LLC, was coming off a troubled fifth-place effort Nov. 27 in the Central Park Stakes at Aqueduct.

“He had a really rough trip last time at Aqueduct,” Pletcher said. “It cost him. He was stuck down inside and couldn't get extricated until late.”

Pletcher said he has no immediate plans for Grand Sonata and didn't dismiss the possibility of putting him back on dirt in his next start. The colt broke his maiden on the dirt at Keeneland in October.

“It's something we'll look into,” Pletcher. said. “I just think, as a young horse, he's been a little better on the turf. But he's got a dirt pedigree and at some point we might step out. They've also got a great turf program here, so you hate not to take advantage of it.”

Alittleloveandluck kicks in late to capture $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes
Alittleloveandluck was both good and — and just a little lucky — on Saturday in winning the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

That's because owner and trainer Mike Dini never intended to race the 3-year-old filly in the mile turf stakes and did so only because the track racing office talked him into it in order to fill the race.

“They were short on horses,” Dini said.

Dini's good fortune paid off in the form of the gray filly's 1half-length victory over Ocean Safari. Even-money favorite Opalina was third in the field of seven. Jockey Paco Lopez gave the filly a ground-saving trip before powering past four horses in the stretch for the win.

Dini felt Alittleloveandluck was destined for turf racing but began to have his doubts when the Florida-bred daughter of Arrogate failed to hit the board in either of her first two career turf starts.

She broke maiden on Nov. 12 at Gulfstream in what was his fourth career start, and first on Tapeta.

When the Gulfstream racing office called to see if he would try her once again on turf in the Ginger Brew, Dini figured why not?

“I said, well, I might as well try her one more time on the grass with a short field,” Dini said.

Now, Dini said he intends to keep her on grass, at least for the time being.

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Gulfstream: Pletcher Sends Pair Of Maiden Winners To Dania Beach

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out the pair of maiden winners Grand Sonata and Chanceux, each in their South Florida debut, as they chase stakes success in Saturday's $100,000 Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park.

The 14th running of the Dania Beach and 11th renewal of the Ginger Brew for fillies, both going one mile on the grass, are 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.

Pletcher previously won the Dania Beach with Made You Look in 2017, its last of a five-year run as a Grade 3 event. Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata will be making his second straight stakes start after encountering trouble in the 1 1/16-mile Central Park Nov. 27 at Aqueduct.

In that race, the Medaglia d'Oro colt got bumped at the start and trailed the field into the stretch, had to steady at the three-sixteenths pole and wound up fifth beaten less than two lengths after making a belated run.

“I think trip handicappers would certainly take note of that,” Pletcher said. “It was a good ground-saving trip until nothing opened up and, unfortunately, there was just nowhere to go. He got extracted late and was closing really well when that happened, but it just didn't happen in time.”

Grand Sonata ran second to next-out Futurity (G3) winner Slipstream in his Sept. 18 debut sprinting seven furlongs on the Belmont Park turf. He stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for an off-the-turf maiden special weight Oct. 16 at Keeneland, where he led every step of the way for a 2 ¼-length win as the favorite.

“It was a good debut on the turf and then he was able to win off the turf. I think he is a colt that has a future on both surfaces,” Pletcher said. “Right now, we feel like he's a little better on the turf. He had a rough trip last time but he's doing really well. He put in a couple good breezes for us at Palm Beach [Downs] and, hopefully, we can get a smoother trip this time.”

Harrell Ventures' Chanceux is by Speightstown, the champion sprinter of 2004 also trained by Pletcher, out of the Broken Vow mare Rosalind, who was a Grade 2 winner on turf and Grade 1 placed on synthetics. Chanceux raced twice as a 2-year-old, finishing fourth in his Oct. 9 unveiling over Belmont's main track. Moved to the grass next out, he posted a front-running two-length triumph at the same six-furlong distance Nov. 13 at Aqueduct.

“It was a pretty straightforward performance. He broke alertly and took them wire to wire and seemed to make a move forward on the turf, which wasn't a surprise based on the bottom side of his pedigree,” Pletcher said. “It looked like there was plenty of turf there.

“We gave him a shot on the dirt first time out and he didn't run badly, but it looked like he took a big step forward on the grass,” he added. “I think the mile suits him well. I think it's a good intermediate distance to stretch him out.”

Tyler Gaffalione is named to ride Grand Sonata from far outside Post 8, while Luis Saez has the call on Chanceux from Post 5.

Live Oak Plantation homebred Biz Biz Buzz takes stakes credentials into the Dania Beach. After winning his debut Sept. 10 at Laurel Park, the Fed Biz colt ran third in the Oct. 10 Futurity and fifth in the Nov. 5 Atlantic Beach sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont turf. Most recently, he set the pace before settling for third in Gulfstream's one-mile Pulpit Dec. 3. Trained by Mike Trombetta, Biz Biz Buzz is cross-entered in a Dec. 31 allowance at Gulfstream.

Father Glado, owned and trained by Jose D'Angelo; Silverton Hill's Gingrich and DATTT Stable homebred Smokin' T all enter the Dania Beach off maiden victories. Father Glado won going a mile and 70 yards Dec. 9 on the Tapeta at Gulfstream; Gingrich scored by two lengths on a yielding Keeneland turf Oct. 8; and Smokin' T was a two-length winner going 1 1/16 miles Dec. 5 on the grass at Aqueduct.

Completing the field are K.C. Chief, a last-out winner at Gulfstream for owner-trainer Ruben Gracida, and No Nay Franklin, trained and co-owned by Patrick Biancone. No Nay Franklin has run second in each of his two starts, both at Gulfstream. He was beaten a neck in an Aug. 29 maiden special weight sprinting five furlongs on the grass then lost by a head in an off-the-turf edition of the seven-furlong Armed Forces Sept. 18.

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