Three horses coming off sharp maiden wins and Jumeriah, already stakes-placed at the distance, help comprise a wide-open field of seven for Saturday's $100,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.
The seventh running of the Cash Run for fillies is among five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $550,000 in purses on a New Year's Day holiday program headlined by the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.
Post time for the first of 11 races is noon.
The Cash Run is the first of Gulfstream's stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the road to the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) April 2, followed by the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3) Feb. 5 and the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) March 5.
Surreal Fantasy, Kathleen O. and Fast and Flirty all enter the Cash Run off victories. Elena Racing and Gelfenstein Farm's Surreal Fantasy rebounded after running seventh in her Nov. 6 debut sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream to romp by 13 lengths in front-running fashion going a mile and 40 yards Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.
“First time out, very disappointed. We thought she was going to run a nice race. Then we tried to take an easy approach and sent her to Tampa to get some confidence going two turns, and she won quite well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I would have preferred to keep her at two turns, but there's nothing really around at the moment so we'll give her a shot and see how she performs this weekend.”
Joseph said he wasn't surprised at the dramatic improvement in Surreal Fantasy, a bay daughter of 2016 Wood Memorial (G1) winner Outwork and granddaughter of 1991 King's Bishop (G1) winner Forestry.
“We were kind of hoping for something like that first time out and I don't know why she ran so bad. We just couldn't come up with a reason,” Joseph said. “She trained so well before she ran, that's why we gave her one more shot. We were thinking maybe she might end up being turf if she trained that well and ran that poorly on the dirt.
“But, second time out she ran like how she trained. I don't know if it was class or two turns or what, but that's what we saw in the mornings and she duplicated that second time out,” he added. “We hope if she can run accordingly she can have a very good chance this week.”
Luis Saez is named to ride Surreal Fantasy from Post 3.
Joseph sent out a pair of winners Wednesday at Gulfstream to reach the 200 mark for the first time in a season that included nine graded-stakes victories led by Drain the Clock in the Woody Stephens (G1) and Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) and Mischevious Alex in the Carter (G1) and Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3). The Championship Meet's leading trainer with 17 wins, he also surpassed $9 million in purse earnings, another career high.
“We've had a great year,” Joseph said. “You depend on the owners and your team. The owners and your team, that's basically what makes a trainer. There's no two ways around it. You need the owners to supply the horses and you need the team to take care of them to the highest of standards. Thankfully we have both and, hopefully, we can keep continuing.”
Winngate Stables' Kathleen O. raced once at 2 for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The Upstart filly rallied from last, trailing by as many as 10 lengths after a half-mile, to edge Mischievous Diane by a head in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Nov. 12 at Aqueduct. Both the runner-up and Greatitude, who ran third, came back to win their next start, the latter by 2 ¾ lengths Dec. 19 at Gulfstream.
Like Surreal Fantasy, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Team Hanley's Fast and Flirty will be making her third start in the Cash Run. By Into Mischief, Fast and Flirty ran second over a sloppy Keeneland surface Oct. 15 in debut, then stalked and pounced to a popular 1 ¾-length maiden special weight score going a mile Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs.
“She's a nice filly. She's run a couple of nice races. She won her maiden at Churchill the last time and ran well so the mile at Gulfstream should be right up her street,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “I think she's going to improve, too. I don't think we've seen the best of her yet. If she improves a little bit it should give her a big chance.”
Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the maiden win, gets a return call from Post 6.
“She was kind of late coming into us so it was that reason more than any that she was a little late getting to racetrack because she didn't really miss a whole lot once she got to us,” Walsh said. “She's worked good and she's improved all the way along. Hopefully she can improve a little bit more here and be able to run with these better fillies.”
Performance Horse's Jumeirah was beaten a neck as the favorite when second in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 9 at Gulfstream to undefeated Joseph trainee Amazing Trip. Junior Alvarado, who was up that day, will ride back from Post 5.
“She's doing really good. I thought she put up a good performance in the allowance race. She linked up with a nice filly of Saffie's that went on to the lead,” trainer Carlos David said. “It's all speed at Gulfstream Park, so the plan with Junior was to place her forwardly. She was the favorite that day and she gave us a good race, the first time with blinkers. She likes Gulfstream Park. It's her second time here at Gulfstream, so I think everything points toward a good performance again.”
Though stretching out off back-to-back sprints, Jumeriah has raced twice previously at a mile. She finished second by three lengths to Runup in the Sept. 6 Sorority at Monmouth Park and was a distant eighth to undefeated multiple Grade 1 winner Echo Zulu in the Oct. 3 Frizette (G3) at Belmont Park.
“It was a big day in New York and there was a lot of people. She just didn't handle it well. She got really hot and she washed out before the race. Junior rode her that time and he just told me that she washed out and left everything behind the gate,” David said. “She's run going a mile before so it's not going to be new for her. I think the one turn will favor her, so hopefully she'll get a win.”
Queen Camilla, fourth by 1 ¼ lengths last out in the Oct. 23 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream; Freccia d'Argento and Mi Negrita complete the field.
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