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Crazy Beautiful Gives McPeek Back-To-Back Gulfstream Park Oaks Triumphs

Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Crazy Beautiful rallied from last to score a convincing victory in Saturday's $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), providing trainer Ken McPeek his second straight success in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.

The Gulfstream Oaks was one of 10 stakes on Saturday's program that was headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa. The Oaks is a Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifying race that offered 170 points on a 100-40-20-10 scale.

Crazy Beautiful earned her way into the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs by following in the hoofprints of McPeek-trained Swiss Skydiver, who captured last year's Gulfstream Oaks winner, who went on to beat the boys in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

“We were here a year ago. I was really proud of that win,” McPeek said. “Maybe we can accomplish half as much this year.”

Crazy Beautiful, who finished second in the seven-furlong Davona Dale (G2) Feb. 27 in her 2021 debut, was rated in seventh and last as Con Lima, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., set the fractions of 24.16 and 48.69 seconds for the first half-mile while stalked by Bow Wow Girl and Pens Street. Millefeuille bad a bold move between horses leaving the backstretch and pulled alongside a tiring Con Lima on the turn into the homestretch before opening a clear lead at the top of the stretch. Crazy Beautiful, the 2-1 second choice ridden by Jose Ortiz who had steadily advanced into contention, was sent between horses to get a clear run in the stretch and kicked in powerfully to overtake Millefeuille.

“I just wanted to sit there and make sure she got into a good rhythm on the backstretch and she did. I saved some ground on the first turn and I saved some ground on the second turn,” said Ortiz following his third stakes victory of the afternoon. “Kenny told me that she was a nice filly, so I rode her with confidence.”

The daughter of Liam's Map scored by 2 ½ lengths while running 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.41.

“I thought Jose rode her perfect today. He got her in a nice rhythm. I told him, 'Don't be in a hurry. Don't force anything. Get her in a nice rhythm.' He did that,” McPeek said. “She was a little farther back than she's normally been, but she's got a lot of turn of foot.”

Millefeuille finished second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of late-closing Competitive Speed. Con Lima finished fourth.

Crazy Beautiful had a productive 2020 campaign, during which she was graded stakes-placed twice, including a second-place finish behind Simply Ravishing, also a McPeek trainee, in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. Simply Ravishing, who was nominated to the Gulfstream Park Oaks, is scheduled to prep for the Kentucky Oaks in the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland April 3.

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Basin Sharp After Layoff, Wins Sir Shackleton For Pletcher

Multiple Grade 1 winner Basin made a triumphant return to action off a six-month layoff Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla, scoring an off-the-pace victory in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton.

The Sir Shackleton, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, was one of 10 stakes on a 14-race card that was headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Basin, a Liam's Map colt who won the 2019 Hopeful (G1) and was awarded the victory in the 2020 Arkansas Derby (G1) via the subsequent disqualification of the first-place finisher while being trained by Steve Asmussen, was making his first start since finishing second in the Aug. 29 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga in his first start for Todd Pletcher.

Basin broke well but was allowed to settle off a contested pace set by Shivaree and pressed by Frosted Grace, who dueled for the lead during a :22.55 first quarter of a mile. Frosted Grace eased away from Shivaree to take the lead under Edwin Gonzalez while completing the first half-mile in :45.03. Frosted Grace took the lead into the stretch and responded to urging but was unable to hold off Basin, who launched a sustained stretch drive under Jose Ortiz.

Basin, the 3-2 favorite, prevailed by a half-length over Frosted Grace while completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.19. Frosted Grace held off Town Classic by another half-length.

Sir Shackleton Quotes

Winning Trainer Todd Pletcher (Basin): “I got a little anxious. It looked like he backed up on the turn, but he kept grinding it out. Irad (Ortiz Jr., aboard Town Classic) came up outside of him and that kind of encouraged him a little bit. He got in a good stretch duel and he was very game at the end.

“He's a quality horse He trains really well. We felt like he was just ready. We didn't want to go over the top for the first one back. We cut it close, but we had him ready to get the job done today. I think he'll move forward from the race.”

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Basin): “He broke well, but they went a little bit fast and I felt like I was rushing him off his feet so I decided to relax a little bit at the five-eighths pole and sit behind Cool Arrow. It worked out nice. I had to grind it out. But when the horse came to his outside, he dug in. Close to the wire the horse inside came out, too, and that helped him find another gear. He was very game. It was a very game performance.”

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Crazy Beautiful Will Try To Follow Swiss Skydiver’s Example In Gulfstream Park Oaks

Trainer Kenny McPeek will be on a quest to win back-to-back runnings of the $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) Saturday when he saddles Crazy Beautiful for the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Last year, McPeek saddled Swiss Skydiver for a 9-1 upset victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks that would set the tone for an Eclipse Award-winning campaign that included a victory in the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga and a photo-finish victory over Authentic in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

The 51st running of the Gulfstream Park Oaks will be among 10 stakes on Saturday's program that will be headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa. Saturday's 14-race card will also be highlighted by as mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 pool, which is expected to swell into the multi-millions should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved through Friday. There will also be guaranteed pools of $750,000 for the Late Pick 5 and Late Pick 4.

The Gulfstream Park Oaks will offer 170 qualifying points for the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 100-40-20-10 basis.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Crazy Beautiful is coming off a second-place finish in the Feb. 27 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream. The daughter of Liam's Map rallied from well off the pace in her 2021 debut to finish a distant second to going-away winner Wholebodemeister. She was making her first start since finishing off the board in the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland.

“She ran great here. I think that she's training well enough that we should go right now,” McPeek said.

Crazy Beautiful launched her career last summer with back-to-back wins at Ellis Park, including the Debutante Stakes before finishing second in the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky-bred filly was favored to win the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland but was no match for stablemate Simply Ravishing while finishing second.

Jose Ortiz has the mount aboard Crazy Beautiful, who was rated as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is scheduled to saddle Con Lima for a return to dirt in the Oaks. Multiple graded stakes-placed on turf in her two most recent starts, the daughter of Commissioner is hardly heading to foreign territory. The Texas-bred filly, who is owned in a partnership by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, graduated over Gulfstream's main track July 31 after finishing a close second to Wholebodemeister in her debut over a sloppy track three weeks earlier.

“It's something we've been thinking about for a while. Being a graded-stakes and all – and she seems to like Gulfstream – we decided to give it a try,” Pletcher said.

After finishing second behind Simply Ravishing in the off-the-turf P. G. Johnson, Con Lima returned to Gulfstream to finish second in the off-the-turf Our Dear Peggy. Sent around two turns on turf for her next two starts, Con Lima romped to front-running optional claiming allowance victories by open lengths. She showed the way before fading to second in the Jan. 30 Sweetest Chant (G3) and came back to overcome trouble leaving the starting gate to close from far back and finish second in the Herecomesthebride (G3) Feb. 27.

“Her races on the turf have been very good, but she's been consistent on both surfaces,” Pletcher said. “It seemed like the right trip to try it.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount on Con Lima, who is rated second at 3-1 in the morning line.

Competitive Speed, a sprint-stakes winner owned by John Minchello, is scheduled to make her first start around two turns Saturday. The daughter of Competitive Edge is coming off a third-place finish in the one-turn mile Davona Dale, in which she made a wide middle move to challenge front-running Wholebodemeister on the turn into the homestretch before weakening to finish third, 1 ½ lengths behind Crazy Beautiful.

Competitive Speed broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park West last July in her second career start while racing for a $25,000 claiming tag. She came back to win an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream by 4 ½ lengths going away.

“After she won that race, I said, 'Oh, I think we've got something,” trainer Javier Gonzalez said.

Competitive Speed came back to win the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman by three lengths before finishing a troubled sixth in the Forward Gal and third in the Davona Dale.

“She's one of those horses that never make you look bad,” Gonzalez said. “She has a big heart in a small package.”

Gonzalez is confident that Competitive Speed will handle two turns.

“I don't think two turns will be a problem for her,” Gonzalez said. “She's been working very good and finishing up strong.”

Leonel Reyes has the return mount aboard Competitive Speed.

Juddmonte Farms Inc.'s Millefeuille will seek to rebound from a seventh-place finish in the Davona Dale Saturday. The Bill Mott-trained daughter of Curlin had previously finished second at Aqueduct in the Dec. 6 Demoiselle, in which she set the pace before falling a half-length short of holding off undefeated Malathaat.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride the homebred filly for the first time Saturday.

Trainer Dale Romans, who has saddled the winners of three Gulfstream Park Oaks, is scheduled to saddle Calumet Farm's Bow Bow Girl and Robert Baron's Len Lo Lady for this year's running.

Bow Bow Girl is coming off an impressive maiden score at Gulfstream Park in her third career start. The homebred daughter of Oxbow set a pressured pace before drawing off to win the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race by 4 ½ lengths. Len Lo Lady broke her maiden by more than 10 lengths in a $50,000 claiming race prior to finishing third in a mile optional claiming allowance.

Corey Lanerie has the return call on Bow Bow Girl, while Hall of Famer John Velazquez is scheduled to ride Len Lo Lady for the first time.

Dennis Smith and Daniel Walters' Pens Street will seek to improve on a a distant fourth in the Davona Dale last time out.

The Rohan Crichton-trained daughter of Street Sense, who finished first and second in her first two career starts, will be ridden by Miguel Vasquez.

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Gulfstream Park: $900,000 Guaranteed Rainbow 6 Jackpot On Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have a guaranteed pool of $900,000 when racing resumes Sunday with a 12-race program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

First race post is 12:10 p.m.

The sequence features three turf stakes and will include the eighth race, a maiden special weight event at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for 3-year-olds with colts from the stables of Bill Mott, Shug McGaughey, Todd Pletcher, Christophe Clement, Mark Casse and Brian Lynch. In the ninth race, an optional claiming event at six furlongs, Cory Gal will seek her fourth consecutive victory. State-bred fillies go to post in the 10^th race. Big Rings enters the race off a fourth-place finish in the Gasparilla at Tampa. The sequence concludes with a wide-open, $50,000 maiden claiming event for fillies at 1 1/16 mile on the turf.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Pletcher Wins Four, Jose Ortiz Three On Fountain of Youth Day
Along with winning the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) aboard Greatest Honour, jockey Jose Ortiz also won aboard Antoinette ($9.20) in the The Very One and on Attachment Rate ($15.20) in an allowance optional claimer.

Leading trainer Todd Pletcher won four races on the day. He started the day winning the second race with Nocturnal ($3.40) before Con Lima was placed first through a disqualification in the Herecomesthebride (G3). He saddled Fearless ($7.60) to victory in the WinStar Gulfstream Mile (G2 and Sayyaaf ($13.40) in an optional claimer. Pletcher's Fountain of Youth starter Prime Factor finished seventh.

Collaborate a Promising Winner
Collaborate, a 3-year-old colt owned by Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, broke his maiden in his second career start, winning by 12 ½ lengths while covering a mile on the main track in 1:36.35.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, is a son of Into Mischief out of the Grade 2 winning mare Quiet Temper. Collaborate sold as a yearling for $600,000.

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