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Con Lima Never Looks Back Winning Ginger Brew At Gulfstream

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Eric Nikolaus Del Toro and Troy Johnson's Con Lima continued to show her affinity for the turf with a front-running triumph in Saturday's $75,000 Ginger Brew at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The one-mile Ginger Brew for 3-year-old fillies was the fourth of five stakes worth $400,000 in purses on an 11-race program highlighted by Mutasaabeq's victory in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man for 3-year-olds, the start of Gulfstream's road to the March 28 Florida Derby (G1).

It was the first career stakes victory for Con Lima ($6.20), a daughter of Commissioner who finished second in back-to-back stakes taken off the turf last fall – the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga and Our Dear Peggy at Gulfstream. The winning time was 1:35.23 over a firm turf course.

“I think she's a quality filly that handles both surfaces, but definitely seems to have found her home especially on the Gulfstream turf course here,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “She's got good natural speed and it played to her strengths today.”

A similar gate-to-wire winner in her grass debut going one mile on the Gulfstream turf Dec. 12, Con Lima was once again eager for the lead in the Ginger Brew under jockey Paco Lopez, setting fractions of 23.95 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 47.55 for the half, pressed to her outside by Karakatsie with Inthewinnerscircle rating inside.

Karakatsie moved within a half-length on the turn but Con Lima remained in control and began to separate from the field once straightened for home, running six furlongs in 1:11.45 and drawing clear by 3 ¼ lengths. Honey Pants, the 3-2 favorite, edged Designer Ready for second while I Get It, who got squeezed far back early, rallied late to get up for fourth, snapping her three-race win streak. Inthewinnerscircle, Karakatsie, Viking Queen and Sweet Pearl completed the order of finish.

“Todd told me to judge the race, if she was keen to go or if we needed to sit behind, to go with her,” Lopez said. “She broke well and was a little strong. I had to hold her a little bit, but no one pressured us. I couldn't believe it, so I let her go and my filly finished very well.”

Con Lima now has two wins and two seconds in four starts since joining Pletcher's string last summer. Pletcher had three wins on the day, including Mutasaabeq in the Mucho Macho Man and 3-year-old maiden Winfromwithin in Race 8.

“We handle her carefully. She's got a lot of energy and we try to keep it channeled in the right direction,” Pletcher said of Con Lima. “She was actually very good in the paddock today. We stayed inside and stayed with the pony. She warmed up really nice, was good in the gate and broke alertly, and kind of towed Paco around there. He had a tougher time getting her back to the winner's circle than he did around the track.”

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Mutasaabeq Makes Successful Dirt Return in Mucho Macho Man

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief), already a graded winner on turf of the GII Bourbon S. at Keeneland last season, returned to the main track and asserted his authority late to take Saturday’s Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Park. Away in good order, the $425,000 Keeneland November weanling fell into a good stalking trip as Awesome Gerry took them along at a solid tempo down the backstretch. The 11-10 chalk appeared to be making hard work of it as they hit the three-furlong marker and Luis Saez was all over his mount, but Mutasaabeq responded to the busy ride to claim the lead with a furlong and a half to race and bounded home a clear-cut winner.

A 4 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga at first asking Aug. 8, earning the ‘Rising Star’ designation in the process, Mutasaabeq was a distant third to Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) in the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. Sept. 7, then overcame a tardy dispatch to win the Bourbon with a furious stretch rally. An 11-2 chance in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the bay raced wide on both turns and was beaten better than 10 lengths in 10th behind Fire At Will (Declaration of War).

Mutasaabeq is out of a half-sister to MGSW Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) who was acquired with this foal in utero for $180,000 at the 2018 Keeneland January sale. Her progeny in the pipeline include: a California Chrome filly of 2019 and an Uncle Mo colt of 2020. She was bred to Audible for 2021.

“We’ve been targeting this,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I thought he ran great. We wanted to make sure he got away from the gate cleanly–that hasn’t always been his best first step. I thought he broke pretty well today and put himself in a good spot. Luis had to get after him a little bit on the turn and kept responding and finding more. I thought it was a big effort. We’ll look to try another one on dirt. I’ll talk to the team at Shadwell and come up with a plan. I think today he showed his versatility. He’s now a stakes winner on both surfaces. It’s exciting to have one like that.”

MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-2, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.98, ft.
1–MUTASAABEQ, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Downside Scenario, by Scat Daddy
                2nd Dam: Grand Breeze, by Grand Slam
                3rd Dam: Breeze Lass, by It’s Freezing
($425,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV). O-Shadwell Stable; B-BlackRidge
Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez. $59,520.
Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 5-3-0-1, $259,120.
‘TDN Rising Star’
2–Papetu, 120, c, 3, Dialed In–Lady Malkin, by Sharp Humor.
($80,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Magic Stables LLC; B-Almar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $19,200.
3–Awesome Gerry, 120, c, 3, Liam’s Map–Star of Munster, by
Tribal Rule. ($45,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $37,000 RNA Ylg
’19 KEESEP; $50,000 RNA 2yo ’20 OBSMAR). O-John Fanelli,
Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman & Timothy
Pinch; B-John Liviakis (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $9,600.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 8HF. Odds: 1.10, 20.30, 5.10.
Also Ran: Pickin’ Time, Ultimate Badger, Big Thorn, Raison d’Air, Easy Time, Kiger. Scratched: Jirafales.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Drain The Clock Rebounds With 7 1/2-Length Limehouse Stakes Score

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Saturday, putting an unfortunate trip out of town behind him with a dazzling 7 ½-length victory in the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes.

The Limehouse, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was one of five stakes on Saturday's 11-race program that was headlined by the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man, a mile stakes for 3-year-olds that was the first stop on the Road to the Florida Derby (G1).

Drain the Clock registered the first stakes victory of his career that he launched with back-to-back victories at Gulfstream before making an unfortunate trip to Delta Downs for the Jean Lafitte Stakes, in which the rider was unseated due to a broken iron.

“It was really impressive. He impressed me today,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He was always highly thought of. He was impressive in his debut. His second win was more workmanlike than impressive. Last time, it was a bit of a mishap. We got him back today and he showed up.”

Drain the Clock, the 9-5 favorite, was rated just off the pace set by Warrior's Pride, who posted fractions of 21.78 and 44.83 seconds while showing the way for the first half-mile. Edgard Zayas sent Drain the Clock after the pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch, and the son of Maclean's Music produced a powerful kick to pull away from the field.

“It was a pretty smooth trip. He broke sharp out of the gate. My only worry was that he was moving a little bit in the gate, but everything worked out really well,” Zayas said. “I was just trying to keep him in the clear and he did it all.”

Drain the Clock ran six furlongs in 1:10.11. Tiger finished second under Luis Saez, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Runway Magic and jockey Julien Leparoux.

Competitive Speed Gives Trainer 1st U.S. Stakes Win in Glitter Woman
John Minchello's Competitive Speed scored a 9-1 upset in Saturday's $75,000 Glitter Woman at Gulfstream Park, providing trainer Javier Gonzalez his first stakes success in the U. S.

“It's my first stakes here. We started the year on the right step. It seems to me that we will have some good things happen this year,” said Gonzalez, who has saddled multiple graded-stakes winners in Puerto Rico.

Hit the Woah, the 3-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., broke poorly from the starting gate and was never a factor while finishing fourth.

Competitive Speed ($20) collected her third straight victory with an off-the-pace performance in the 6 ½-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Shop Girl broke alertly, unlike her stablemate in the Christophe Clement barn, to show the way along the backstretch and around the far turn while setting fractions of 22.49 and 45.49 seconds for the first half mile. Competitive Speed launched a three-wide drive on the far turn under Leonel Reyes and set her sights on the pacesetter on the turn into the stretch. The daughter of Competitive Edge overtook Shop Girl approaching the 1/8-pole to capture her stakes debut by three lengths, completing the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.08.

Shop Girl, ridden by Luis Saez, finished second, 6 ½ lengths ahead of Gone to Cabo.

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Maclean’s Music’s Drain the Clock Bounces Back in Limehouse

Looking to atone for his first career defeat when he suffered an equipment malfunction in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs Nov. 30, Slam Dunk Racing’s Drain the Clock (Maclean’s Music) made light work of his rivals as the 9-5 chalk in Saturday’s Limehouse S. at Gulfstream Park.

Smoothly away beneath Edgard Zayas, the chestnut stalked a fast pace outside of front-running Warrior’s Pride (Poseidon’s Warrior), eased to the front approaching the stretch and kicked home smartly to defeat the blinkered Tiger by a handy margin. Runway Magic (Runhappy) finished third.

“It was a pretty smooth trip,” said the winning rider. “He broke sharp out of the gate. My only worry was that he was moving a little bit in the gate, but everything worked out really well. I was just trying to keep him in the clear and he did it all.”

Drain the Clock, a six-length maiden winner in the local slop on debut Sept. 12, added a one-length allowance tally at Gulfstream West Oct. 28 ahead of his Delta debacle, where an iron broke and he lost his jockey.

Drain the Clock is the 21st stakes winner for his Hill ‘n’ Dale-based sire and has a yearling half-brother by Mineshaft. His dam is due to Vino Rosso for 2021. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

LIMEHOUSE S., $75,000, Gulfstream, 1-2, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.11, ft.
1–DRAIN THE CLOCK, 120, c, 3, by Maclean’s Music
1st Dam: Manki, by Arch
2nd Dam: Private Ice (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Midnight Air, by Green Dancer
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Slam Dunk Racing; B-Nick Cosato (KY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr; J-Edgard J Zayas. $45,570. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $91,170.
2–Tiger, 118, c, 3, Dialed In–Sally’s Song, by Unbridled’s Song. O/B-Arindel (FL); T-Juan Alvarado. $14,700.
3–Runway Magic, 118, c, 3, Runhappy–Divine Escapade, by A.P. Indy. O-Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc (J G Sikura) & Bruce Lunsford; B-W Bruce Lunsford & Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm (KY); T-George R Arnold II. $7,350.
Margins: 7HF, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 1.90, 8.00, 3.30.
Also Ran: Newyearsblockparty, Warrior’s Pride, Highway Bound, Ocean Ride. Scratched: Willy Boi.

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