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‘On Top Of The World’: Gaffalione Returns To Gulfstream A Winner In Wait A While

Welcome home, Tyler Gaffalione.

Following another successful sojourn to Kentucky and New York in the summer and fall, the 27-year-old native of nearby Davie, Fla. celebrated his return to Gulfstream Park by guiding Lia Marina to a half-length victory in Friday's $75,000 Wait a While on Opening Day of the 2021-22 Championship Meet.

The eighth running of the one-mile Wait a While for 2-year-old fillies on turf was the first of 76 stakes, 37 graded, worth $14.26 million during the 87-day Championship Meet that runs through April 3.

Gaffalione was greeted with cheers and applause when he returned to the winner's circle aboard Lia Marina ($7.60), the narrow second choice in a field of nine behind European import Sunstrike, making her U.S. debut.

“It's so nice. I grew up here. It's one of the first tracks I've ever been to,” Gaffalione said. “Coming back here and winning races, it's a feeling like no other. I feel on top of the world.”

The Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2015, represented by agent Matt Muzikar, Gaffalione won the fall meet at Keeneland, his fourth career title there, and swept all four meets this year at Churchill Downs including the fall meet that immediately preceded Gulfstream. He was also second at Kentucky Downs, third at Keeneland spring and sixth at Saratoga.

“I've just been so blessed. I've got a great team around me,” Gaffalione said. “My family is great support and all the owners and trainers have given me such huge opportunities. I just feel so blessed to be in the position I'm in.”

Breaking from outside all but one horse, Gaffalione positioned Lia Marina in second, just off the right hip of pacesetter Gun Boat, with Sister Lou Ann poised to their outside through a quarter-mile in 21.95 seconds and a half in 45.53. Lia Marina forged a short lead exiting the far turn after six furlongs in 1:09.48 with Sister Lou Ann matching strides, but Lia Marina never let the filly get by the length of the stretch to win in 1:33.06 over a firm turf course.

Gun Boat was third, three-quarters of a length behind Sister Lou Ann, followed by Lemieux, Last Leaf, Sunstrike, Myfavoritedaughter, High Arabian and Palmach.

“There was a lot of speed on form, but my filly was coming out of sprints so we didn't want to take much away from her,” Gaffalione said. “We just wanted to get her over, save some ground and get some cover. She relaxed good around there and when I called on her she responded nicely.”

Gaffalione ranked second with $3.5 million in purse earnings and third with 95 wins during the 2020-21 Championship Meet behind Irad Ortiz Jr.'s record total of 140. Among Gaffalione's victories were six graded-stakes – the Mr. Prospector (G3), Tropical Turf (G3), W.L. McKnight (G3), Marshua's River (G3), Kitten's Joy (G3) and Honey Fox (G3).

A winner of more than 1,700 career races, Gaffalione ranks fourth in North America in victories this year behind Ortiz Jr., Paco Lopez and Luis Saez, all of whom are Gulfstream winter regulars.

“We always want to be top three. We're always fighting to be leading rider,” Gaffalione said. “It's a very competitive meet, but we just come out here every day and give it our best.”

The post ‘On Top Of The World’: Gaffalione Returns To Gulfstream A Winner In Wait A While appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Claiming Crown: ‘Peculiar’ Smile Sprint Winner Miles Ahead Tops Rapid Transit

David Melin, Laurie Plesa and Leon Ellman's Miles Ahead will bring graded-stakes credentials into Saturday's $85,000 Rapid Transit at Gulfstream Park, which will host the $810,000 Claiming Crown on the first weekend of the 2021-2022 Championship Meet.

The Eddie Plesa-trained 4-year-old gelding, who captured the $200,000 Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream Park July 3, will seek to make amends for a subpar showing last year in the Rapid Transit, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up who have raced for a claiming price of $16,000 or less in 2020-2021.

The Claiming Crown Rapid Transit, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up who have run for a claiming price of $16,000 or less in 2020-2021, is one of nine starter stakes on Saturday's 11-race program with a noon first-race post time.

Miles Ahead's career got off to a most inauspicious start when he was eased in his December 2019 debut in a $50,000 maiden claiming race on turf. The son of Competitive Edge pulled off a Jekyll and Hyde act while taking to Gulfstream's main track for his second career start, graduating by 12 ½ lengths in a $12,500 maiden claiming race.

“I didn't think we'd lose him, and I wasn't sure he would like the dirt. He was kind of a peculiar horse at that time. His works were unimpressive. The reason I put him on the turf the first time was he didn't really show anything on dirt. He ran miserably [on turf],” Plesa said. “We said, 'He's not showing anything. Let's go ahead an put on the dirt and throw a set of blinkers on him,' hoping that everything turns out OK. Low and behold, he won by the length of the stretch. That was eye-opening for us,” he added. “Needless to say, I was very happy to find out we didn't lose him.”

Miles Ahead, who was purchased for $175,000 at the 2019 OBS March 2-year-olds-in-training sale, went on to become a reliable and productive allowance and starter allowance runner in 2020 before blossoming into a graded-stakes winner this year.

“He's just kind of taken off,” Plesa said. “That [maiden claiming] race made him eligible for starter races, which is the reason he's eligible for this race, and he's capped it off with a graded-stakes win.”

Miles Ahead, who finished a close second behind multiple graded-stakes winner Diamond Oops in an overnight handicap leading up to the $200,000 Smile Sprint, put it all together in the Smile, which co-headlined the July 3 Summit of Speed program with the $350,000 Princess Rooney (G2). The Kentucky-bred gelding stalked the pace while racing clear on the outside before sweeping to the lead at the top of the stretch under Victor Espinoza and holding off Chance It.

“He deserved to be in the race. Edwin Gonzalez was supposed to ride him, but he got hurt that day earlier on in the program. We were lucky to pick up a top rider, who had flown in from California, and everything clicked,” Plesa said “It was a great win for the horse and it was great for us.”

Melin, Ellman and Plesa's wife, Laurie, have enjoyed a most successful partnership for many years, most notably with Itsmyluckyday, a Grade 1 winner of $1.7 million who won the 2013 Holy Bull (G2) before finishing second in the Florida Derby (G1).

“I've trained for David Melin for, say, 32 or 33 years. Leon Ellman is a friend and business associate of David's. Our partnership has been in business for about 10 years,” Plesa said.

Miles Ahead was shipped to Saratoga following his Smile win for a start in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1), in which he encountered early bumping and finished ninth after an extremely wide trip. In his most recent start in a five-furlong off-the-turf overnight handicap at Gulfstream, he closed with a rush from far back to finish second, a neck short of victory.

Paco Lopez, who has won three of four starts aboard Miles Ahead, has the mount Saturday.

Owner/trainer Kathleen O'Connell's Well Defined will also bring graded-stakes credentials into the Rapid Transit. The 5-year-old gelded son of With Distinction, who captured the 2019 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, has enjoyed a profitable 2021 campaign, during which he has won five races, including the $100,000 Benny The Bull.

Luca Panici has the call on Well Defined.

Travin Stables' Lookin At Roses, who finished fourth in the Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx prior to winning a starter allowance at Laurel last time out; Imaginary Stables and Elizabeth Dobles' Pudding, a overnight handicap winner at Gulfstream after being claimed for $25,000 during the summer; Frank Calabrese's Financial System, who just missed in optional claiming allowance company in his first start off a $10,000 claim; and Michele and Lawrence Sargent's Legal Deal, a last-out winner who finished third behind Miles Ahead and Well Defined in a starter allowance last summer; are also entered in the Rapid Transit.

I'm a G Six, Fortunate Friends, Motataabeq, and Star Sign round out the 11-horse field.

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Pletcher May ‘Start Off A Little Slow’ At Gulfstream’s Championship Meet

Trainer Todd Pletcher has built a rather imposing resume on his way to the Hall of Fame – more than 5200 winners, nearly $420 million in purses, seven Eclipse Awards, three Belmont Stakes winners, two Kentucky Derby champions, 12 Breeders' Cup successes and countless graded-stakes victories.

Oh, and an unprecedented 18 Championship Meet titles at Gulfstream Park.

The 54-year-old Dallas native will seek to his continue his dominance during the 2021-2022 Championship Meet that will get underway on Friday and run through April 3.

“I think we're going to start off a little slow. We've got a lot of horses in New York still that have a lot of races to run in. With Aqueduct extending their meet into the second week of December for the Remsen, Demoiselle and Cigar Mile. That's kept us there a little longer this year,” Pletcher said. “We'll get a little later start with the good portion of the stable at Gulfstream. Hopefully, by the middle of the meet we'll be at full force.

“Like always, our success at the Championship Meet should depend on how our 2-year-olds-turning-3 do,” he added. “We've got some ready to make their debuts in late December and early January. Hopefully, we'll have some that are able to step up.”

Pletcher has saddled a record six Florida Derby (G1) winners – Known Agenda (2021) Audible (2018), Always Dreaming (2017), Materiality (2015), Constitution (2014) and Scat Daddy (2007).

“We've had great fortune in the Florida Derby,” Pletcher said. “Always Dreaming was able to win there and go on to win the [Kentucky] Derby. I really like the spacing of it for the Kentucky Derby.

“Being a Grade 1, it's a big-time stallion-making race. Look at the success of our Florida Derby winners – with Constitution doing so great at stud and Scat Daddy, who was on his way to being one if not the best stallion in the country. It's proven over the years, that it means a lot to stallions,” Pletcher added. “Audible's babies are off to a great start, also. It's a race we love to win, not just as a Derby prep but also a stallion-making race as well.”

Pletcher, a former assistant to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lucas, was inducted into National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in August in his first year of eligibility.

“It was a tremendous honor, really exciting. I was really pleased my parents were able to be there and attend the induction ceremony with my family,” Pletcher said. “It's a great accomplishment for the entire team. A lot of people put in a lot of hard work to make it happen. I've been blessed with great owners, great horses and great teammates and a great support system.”

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TVG Live On Site For Opening Days At Gulfstream, Oaklawn Park

Two of America's premier race meets will open this weekend and TVG will bring live coverage of opening day at Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet into the homes of horse racing fans across the country.

TVG's Mike Joyce will be reporting live from Arkansas throughout the weekend as Oaklawn Park kicks off the racing season on Friday with a nine-race card featuring the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds. The race has drawn a field of ten including the 5-2 morning line favorite Cairama for Steve Asmussen. A $525,000 purchase at OBS in March, the son of Cairo Prince will have Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the irons. The stakes action will continue on Saturday with the $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet will begin on Saturday and TVG's coverage will include the addition of the Jockey Cam which allows the viewers to view the action through the eyes of some of the best jockeys in the world. This popular technology debuted in California this summer. Larry Collmus will be on-site daily with expert insight and analysis throughout the meet. Saturday's opening day card features two stakes races for 2-year-olds – the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes and the $75,000 Wait a While Stakes for fillies. Both races are scheduled to be run at one mile on the turf.

The Championship Meet runs through April 3rd and is highlighted by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) on Jan. 29 and the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on April 2.

In addition to racing from Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park, TVG will be featuring racing from Los Alamitos, Tampa Bay Downs, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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