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Gulfstream: Eldon’s Prince Chases Third Stakes In A Row In Friday’s Pulpit Stakes

Gentry Farms' Eldon's Prince is scheduled to seek his third-straight stakes victory on Friday's opening day program of the 2021-2022 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park, where the son of Cairo Prince figures as the horse to beat in the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes.

The Pulpit, a mile turf race for 2-year-olds which drew a field of 12, will co-headline an 11-race program with the $75,000 Wait a While, a mile turf stakes for juvenile fillies. The Pulpit and Wait a While will kick off a $14.26 million stakes schedule for the Championship Meet that will run through April 3.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Eldon's Prince has shown versatility in his three-race career, having won the Proud Man at a mile on turf and the off-the-turf Armed Forces while sprinting on dirt.

“He finds a way to win,” Joseph said. “He's a horse, as the distances get longer, he'll want to go further. I think he's going to be a horse that will go a mile-and-an-eighth, a mile-and-a-quarter, a mile-and-a-half on the grass, but this is a good race to get him started. Hopefully, he'll run as well as he's run before.”

A $280,000 purchase at the OBS April 2-year-olds-in-training sale, Eldon's Prince debuted on turf at Gulfstream Sept. 18, rallying from off the pace to finish second in a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight race. He came right back to graduate in the Proud Man, overcoming a rough start and drawing away to a six-length victory. Cutting back to seven furlongs on the main track, the Ontario-bred colt rallied from seventh to prevail by a head in the Armed Forces.

“He's not super flashy as far as speed in the morning, but he's super steady. He'll gallop out super strong in all of his works,” Joseph said. “On the dirt, you can see that he's even. I think his preferred surface is going to be turf. I know he won on dirt, but I think he just won on ability. He's a horse that can overcome things.”

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard Eldon's Prince.

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Silverton Hill LLC's Red Danger also brings stakes experience on both turf and dirt into the Pulpit. The son of 2013 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb captured the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint over Kentucky Downs turf Sept. 29. After finishing fourth in the Bourbon (G2) on turf at Keeneland, the Brendan Walsh-trained colt finished second behind Howling Time in the Oct. 31 Street Sense at 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Churchill Downs.

Julien Leparoux, who was aboard in the Street Sense, has been awarded the return call.

Cammarota Racing LLC's Baron Cesco is slated to stretch out to a mile after showing considerable promising sprinting both on turf and Tapeta. The Antonio Sano-trained son of Klimt debuted with a front-running victory Aug. 6 at Saratoga. After finishing far back in the off-the-turf Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga, Baron Cesco finished a late-closing third in the Hollywood Beach over Gulfstream's turf after being held up in traffic on the backstretch. The Kentucky-bred colt enters the Pulpit off a second-place optional claiming allowance over Gulfstream's Tapeta course.

Wendall Yates, Troy Johnson, Carroll Boys Racing and Marita Weston's C My Meister enters the Pulpit off a pair of third-place stakes finishes. The Kelsey Danner trainee, who broke his maiden at Gulfstream in his turf debut, finished third in the Aug. 21 Kitten's Joy at Colonial before checking in behind a pair of next-out-winners while finishing third in the Oct. 23 Juvenile for Florida-breds at Gulfstream.

Live Oak Plantation's Biz Biz Buzz, a Michael Trombetta-trained son of Fed Biz who finished third in the Futurity (G3) on turf at Belmont two starts back; Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout, a Graham Motion-trained son of Mr. Speaker who finished second in a Keeneland allowance last time out; and My Racehorse.com's Duke of Love, a Josie Carroll-trained son of Cupid who is coming off an impressive debut victory over Woodbine's Tapeta; are promising Pulpit entrants.

Peacock Stable's Sport Pepper, Carl Hess Jr.'s Concrete Glory, Joker Racing LLC's Kitodan, John Minchello's Fast N Ready, and GU Racing Stable LLC's Always Gambling, round out the field.

The post Gulfstream: Eldon’s Prince Chases Third Stakes In A Row In Friday’s Pulpit Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gulfstream: Casse-Trained Duo Of Lemieux, Palmach Will Try Turf In Friday’s Wait A While

D. J. Stable LLC's Lemieux and Palmach will both seek to a make successful transition from Tapeta to turf in Friday's $75,000 Wait a While at Gulfstream Park for a Hall of Fame trainer who knows a thing or two about surface switches.

Trained by Mark Casse, Lemieux and Palmach will both try to duplicate their recent respective dazzling front-running victories over Gulfstream's newly installed Tapeta course in the Wait a While, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-old fillies that will co-headline Friday's opening day of the 2021-2022 Championship Meet with the $75,000 Pulpit, a mile turf event for 2-year-olds.

Lemieux is the more seasoned and accomplished of the two fillies, but the daughter of Nyquist is scheduled to make her turf debut in her sixth career start.

“I think she can do a little bit of anything. She is by Nyquist out of a The Factor mare – that's turf. Even the way she moves, I felt like she would like turf,” Casse said. “Her last start was on Tapeta, which she didn't mind either. I think she'll like the grass.”

Lemieux finished second in her first two career starts behind next-out winners before breaking through to graduate at Saratoga in an Aug. 21 off-the-turf maiden special weight race. The daughter of 2016 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist finished far back on the Churchill Downs' main track in the Pocahontas (G3) but rebounded with a dominating 6 ½-length front-running victory in a Gulfstream optional claiming allowance on Tapeta last time out.

“That was what I expected from her all along. I always felt she was on the A-Team from the beginning,” Casse said. “She ran well. She did break her maiden at Saratoga. Obviously, the race at Churchill was disappointing, but she rebounded in her last race and has trained well up to this race.”

Palmach came up short to finish fifth in his Sept. 10 career debut on Gulfstream's turf but graduated on the Tapeta course next time out with a front-running four-length romp.

“We were disappointed in her first start, but she came back and ran so much better. She's always trained well and showed a lot of ability,” Casse said. “I think she'll probably like turf too.”

Both Lemieux and Palmach likely would have run on turf instead of Tapeta last time out, but Casse was more than happy to have the all-weather surface as a viable alterative while the turf course was undergoing renovation during the Fall Meet.

“I think, unfortunately, early on Tapeta was misrepresented and misunderstood. That's unfortunate because, to me, it's superior to any other surface,” said Casse, who has dominated the trainer standings for many years at Woodbine, where the main track is an all-weather surface. “I've said all along that horses weren't bred to run on dirt. They were bred to run on the grass. Especially, here in the U.S., we can only run so many grass races because our grasses can't hold up. Tapeta is the closest thing to grass.”

Edwin Gonzalez, who rode both fillies in their recent victories, will ride Lemieux, while Emisael Jaramillo has the call on Palmach.

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Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Sister Lou Ann, who finished second in her off-the-turf debut at Gulfstream Sept 24, enters the Wait a While off a front-running 7 ½-length score at a mile and 70 yards on Tapeta in her second career start Oct. 20.

“We tried to get her on the turf, but it rained off. We gave her a shot. The number was slow, but she got second. We ran her on Tapeta, which was the closest thing to turf at the moment, and I thought she won convincingly,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “We're hoping that when we get her on the turf, she'll do equally as good or better.”

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard the homebred daughter of Frosted.

Monarch Stables Inc.'s Last Leaf, a stakes winner over the Gulfstream turf course, enters the Wait a While off a third-place finish after dueling for the early lead in an optional claiming allowance on Tapeta. In her previous start and turf debut, the Ron Spatz-trained daughter of Not This Time pressed the pace before winning by a neck in the $75,000 Hollywood Beach, beating the boys at five-furlongs on turf.

Miguel Vasquez has the return mount aboard the Kentucky-bred filly, who has also won twice on dirt at Gulfstream.

Stuart Janney III's Gun Boat and Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd.'s Lia Marina are both slated to make their stakes debuts in the Wait a While while coming off maiden-breaking victories in New York.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will be represented by Gun Boat, a homebred daughter of War Front who broke through to graduate in her third career start in a six-furlong sprint on turf at Aqueduct Nov. 11. Julien Leparoux is scheduled to ride the Kentucky-bred filly for the first time Friday.

Trainer Christophe Clement-trained Lia Marina is coming off a hard-fought six-furlong maiden score on turf at Belmont Park in her second career start. Tyler Gaffalione has been named to ride the daughter of Uncle Mo for the first time in the Wait a While.

Qatar Racing's Sunstrike, an Irish-bred daughter of Dark Angel, is scheduled to make her U.S. debut in the Wait a While. The Brendan Walsh-trained filly won one of six starts in England. Paco Lopez has the call.

Average Joe Racing Stables' Myfavoritedaughter and DeLuca and Sons Stable's High Arabian round out the field.

The post Gulfstream: Casse-Trained Duo Of Lemieux, Palmach Will Try Turf In Friday’s Wait A While appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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By The Numbers: Gulfstream’s Tapeta Surface Sees Favorites Win At 36 Percent Clip

The 2021-2022 Championship Meet will break new ground when racing is conducted on Gulfstream Park's newly constructed Tapeta surface, as well as on turf and dirt, for the first time during the winter stand that gets underway Friday.

The well-received all-weather surface, which debuted during the inaugural Fall Meet, was constructed upon the advent of year-round racing at the Hallandale Beach racetrack. While the turf course was undergoing renovation during October and November in preparation for the Championship Meet, the Tapeta course proved to be a popular alternative surface to the main track.

Gulfstream is the first racetrack in the Americas to card races on dirt, turf and an all-weather surface. There are no stakes scheduled on the Tapeta course, but the all-weather racing surface will be employed in the event stakes are transferred from the turf course due to inclement conditions.

A total of 143 races were run over the Tapeta course at the recently concluded Fall Meet while producing some expected and perhaps unexpected results.

Horses that favor turf over dirt performed well over the all-weather surface, as widely expected overall. After the first two weeks of racing on Tapeta, horses that had made their most recent starts on turf won 27 of 37 races for a whopping 73 percent. As the meet progressed and horses started running back on Tapeta with no turf races available to them, the percentage of horses going from Turf to the all-weather track dropped to 41 percent.

Favorites had a win-strike rate of 36 percent.

Horses coming from off the pace dominated during the first two weeks of racing on the Tapeta course, winning 22 of 37 races or 59 percent of the races. At meet's end, closers succeeded at a 41-percent clip. After the first two weeks only three horses won on the front end (8 percent), but the speedsters fared better as the meet went along to score at a 17-percent clip by winning 25 of 143 races. Horses pressing or stalking the pace won the remainder of the races.

Saffie Joseph Jr., who dominated the Fall Meet trainer standings, saddled 21 of his 36 winners for victories on the all-weather surface. David Fawkes ranked second with 10 winners with considerably fewer starters.

Edgard Zayas, the Fall Meet champion, led all jockeys with 16 winners on Tapeta. A resurgent Chantal Sutherland, who finished second in the Fall Meet standings, was next with 13 winners.

Gulfstream's Championship Meet kicks off Dec. 3 with a big weekend of stakes races, Claiming Crown, and the popular calendar giveaway.

Friday's 10-race program will be highlighted by two stakes races for 2-year-olds at a mile on the turf in the $75,000 Pulpit and $75,000 Wait a While for fillies.

The Pulpit could attract a full field including Eldon's Prince, a winner this summer and fall of Gulfstream's Armed Forces and Proud Man, Kitodan, who broke his maiden at Gulfstream before finishing ninth in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga, Duke of Love, who won his debut at Woodbine for MyRacehorse and trainer Josie Carroll, and Red Danger, second to Howling Wind in the Street Sense at Churchill Downs.

Possibles for the Wait a While include Lemieux, winner last out of the Brethren Juvenile Fillies Stakes, Myfavoritedaughter, fourth in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) in September, Gun Boat, a daughter of War Front trained by Shug McGaughey, and the Saffie Joseph-trained Sister Lou Ann.

Gulfstream's first Saturday of the Championship Meet will be highlighted by the Claiming Crown, a nine-race event offering $810,000 in purses. Along with watching some of racing's most popular, blue-collar horses, fans can get their free 2022 calendar on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. Calendars will be available at the north and south entrances.

Entries for Friday card will be taken Tuesday.

The month of December will also feature four graded stakes on Saturday, Dec. 18, headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2). Gulfstream's Championship Meet will feature major races every week with spectacular weekend events, including $5.2 million Pegasus World Cup Day Jan. 29, $650,000 Holy Bull Day Feb. 5, $1.7 million Fountain of Youth Day March 5, and the $2.2 million Florida Derby Day April 2.

Gulfstream's concert series will also kick into gear during the Championship Meet in the Sport of Kings Theater with Jefferson Starship Jan. 2, The Wall and Beyond, an Exclusive Pink Floyd Experience Jan. 15, Voices of Classic Soul Jan. 20, and The Immediate Family Feb. 20.

For more information go to: https://gulfstreampark.com/events-and-entertainment/event-calendar

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Nov. 21 Insights

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The post Nov. 21 Insights appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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