Tag: gulfstream park

‘TDN Rising Star’ Fierceness Drills for Florida Derby

Repole Stable's Fierceness (City of Light), who was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after he broke his maiden at first asking at Saratoga last August, breezed five furlongs Friday morning at Palm Beach Downs in preparation for the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 30 at Gulfstream Park, the track said in a release late Friday afternoon.

The 2023 Eclipse Award 2-year-old champion, who finished third in the Feb. 3 GIII Holy Bull S., breezed in company with Spendthrift Farm's Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso).

The Todd Pletcher-trained duo was timed in 1:01.3 with Fierceness galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.82 and seven furlongs in 1:28.19 with a lot of energy.

“He went really, really well, as he always does,” said Pletcher. “He's a very impressive horse to watch breeze. He finished strong and galloped out great.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was aboard Fierceness, who breezed outside Tuscan Sky and Luis Saez.

“The horse gives you a lot of confidence watching him breeze,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “It seems like he's in really good form, so we're expecting a good performance from him.”

Fierceness currently sits in sixth place with 36 points on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard.

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Resolute Racing Acquires ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sweet Rebecca

Resolute Racing has finalized a deal to acquire 'TDN Rising Star' Sweet Rebecca (American Pharoah), the operation's owner John Stewart said on X late Wednesday evening. The filly will now be trained by Chad Brown.

Sweet Rebecca is bred by Greg Goodman's Mt. Brilliant Farm & Ranch, who purchased the filly's stakes-winning and Grade II-placed dam Sweet N Discreet (Discreet Cat) for $1.6 million in foal to Liam's Map at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Herself a $250,000 Keeneland September purchase by Cobble View Farm, Sweet Rebecca is a full-sister to Sweet Melania, a three-time winner at the graded level and third in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf.

Sent off as the 17-5 third choice as the only first-time starter in a field of nine in the Sunday finale at Gulfstream Park, Sweet Rebecca did not have the smoothest beginning and was taken up soon after the start, then became headstrong rounding the first turn. Well off the speed down the backstretch, the Brendan Walsh-trainee swung out about five wide for the drive and motored home impressively to score by a length, with a final quarter-mile in :22.34 according to DRF Formulator. Sweet Rebecca debuted in the colors of Mike Ryan, who raced her in partnership with Mt. Brilliant for the debut.

“I think American Pharoah is one of the most significant broodmare [sires] around,” Stewart told the TDN. “We have several of his fillies. After watching that race and looking at her pedigree, we think she will fit right in with the Resolute program. We can't wait to see what Chad Brown does with her.”

Resolute Bloodstock purchased five 2-year-olds at the just-concluded OBS March Sale, including an American Pharoah filly out of the well-related Grade III winner La Cloche (Ghostzapper) for $525,000.

Stewart burst onto the scene during last fall's breeding stock sales, acquiring two-time champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) for a sales-topping $6 million and Queen Caroline (Blame) and Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) for $3 million each at Fasig-Tipton November. Stewart also purchased Puca (Big Brown), the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) and the latter's full-brother Dornoch, for $2.9 million at Keeneland November. Dornoch has since gone on to win the GII Remsen S. and GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth. S.

 

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‘Wow’ Work for Hades Ahead of Florida Derby

D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran's Hades (Awesome Slew), coming off a win in the Feb. 3 GIII Holy Bull S., tuned up for an expected start in the Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby with a five-furlong work in 1:00.34 (2/14) Sunday at Gulfstream Park. The gelding worked in company with 3-year-old maiden Halon (Flameaway).

“It was what I call a 'Wow!' work,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “I put a horse in front of him to have a horse to run at a little bit. At the quarter-pole, I told both riders to ask their horses. If the other horse ran away from him, I needed to know that. The rider on the inside horse said when he asked, his horse responded and found another gear, and Hades ran by him so fast it's kind of ridiculous.”

Orseno added, “I've got him galloping out the mile in 1:42. Horses don't do that.”

Although the Mar. 2 GII Fountain of Youth was scratched down to just five horses when heavily favored Speak Easy (Constitution) unseated his rider in his pre-race warm-up, Orseno hasn't questioned his decision to bypass the final local prep for the Florida Derby with Hades.

“For me, my horse didn't have that look in his eye that he had until two days before the Fountain of Youth, when I could say, 'Wow: The way he feels now, maybe I should have been in there.' Never did I think that I did the wrong thing,” Orseno said. “He has a big future, so we're not looking at just the next two races, the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby. We're looking down the road, too. You've got to pick and choose your spots.”

Hades is unbeaten in three starts. He debuted with a win at Gulfstream in early December and added an allowance victory in Hallandale at the end of the month. He defeated Domestic Product (Practical Joke) by two lengths in the Holy Bull and the form of that race was flattered when the runner-up returned to win the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Saturday.

“He didn't win by much, but he did get up to win, so I think that complimented us a little bit,” Orseno said of the Tampa Bay Derby finish.

Sunday's breeze was Hades' final serious preparation for the Florida Derby.

“Next week he's going to open gallop. He's not even going to breeze. And then he'll just have a little something the next week, so today was his major prep,” Orseno said.

The post ‘Wow’ Work for Hades Ahead of Florida Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Gulfstream Boosts Spring/Summer Purses

Overnight purses for the upcoming Spring/Summer Meet at Gulfstream Park will be increased in all categories from open handicaps to $6,250 claiming races with conditions.

Open handicap purses will rise from $60,000 last season to $74,000; $6,250 claiming races with conditions will jump from $17,000 to $20,000; open allowances will be $10,000 higher than 2023 levels, ranging from $61,000 to $63,000; entry-level allowances for Florida-breds will increase from $43,000 to $48,000; maiden special weight races will increase by $10,000 to $60,000; maiden special weight races for Florida-breds will go up from $40,000 to $48,000; maiden races for $12,500 claimers will get a boost of $6,000 to $25,000; starter allowance purses will increase from $3,000 to $9,000 (from $25,000 to $49,000); and the purse for a $50,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds will jump by $9,000 to $44,000.

“With the increased purses, grass racing, and our workers compensation program, Gulfstream is now the summer place to be,” said Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (FTHA) President Joe Orseno. “We are able to offer better purses and we hope this will encourage trainers and owners to keep horses at Gulfstream Park through the non-championship meet. A big thank you to 1/ST management and the FTHA purse committee for negotiating this competitive purse structure.”

Gulfstream will race four days a week from April to June and three days a week from July to November with turf racing throughout the spring and summer.

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