leonel reyes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Reyes, Joseph Capture Gulfstream Titles

Leonel Reyes collected his first riding title in the U.S. and Saffie Joseph, Jr. captured his seventh consecutive training championship at Gulfstream Park when the Royal Palm Meet closed Sunday.

Reyes rode more than 1,400 winners in Venezuela before moving his tack to South Florida in 2016. The 37-year-old riding veteran got off to a quick start for the meet that kicked off Apr. 4 and never looked back, finishing with 93 victories, 18 more than runner-up Edwin Gonzalez.

“It's amazing. It's been a lot of hard work,” Reyes said. “I've been riding new horses every day. I work hard every morning. I'm very happy for this.”

Reyes, who rode 30 winners during the Championship Meet, has surpassed the 100-win mark in 2023 for the second year in a row.

After being locked in a tight race with Jose D'Angelo for much of the meet, Joseph finished strongly to add another title at Gulfstream, where he has won the Championship Meet title the past two years. Joseph sent out 66 winners, 11 more than D'Angelo.

“This meet means a lot after what we went through in May and having to go through that experience,” Joseph said. “To keep the ball rolling and having our name cleared–which should have been done in the beginning–it means a lot. The title means a lot. They all mean something, but this one is right up there with the Championship Meet ones.”

Gulfstream Park's Sunshine Meet begins Friday and will run through Nov. 26. The track's elite Championship Meet opens Dec. 1.

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Friday’s Racing Insights: Practical Joke Filly Brings Swag

3rd-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:42 p.m.
PARTY FAVOR (Practical Joke) debuts at Gulfstream Park for WinStar Farm and Siena Farm. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the $520,000 KEESEP purchase comes from a female family that includes MGISW Zazu (Tapit) and her full-brother, GSW Flashback. The bay filly will break from post four with Leonel Reyes in the irons. TJCIS PPS

1st-AQU, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:20 p.m.
A Keeneland November Sale buy for $375,000 as a weanling, MAJESTIC MICHAEL (Justify)'s second dam counts GISWs Discreet Cat (Forestry) and Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft) as half-sibs. This first-time starter is out of unraced dam Emily B (Smart Strike), who is a half-sister to GISW Awesome Maria (Maria's Mon). Trained by Anthony Dutrow, the chestnut colt will have the services of Kendrick Carmouche from the rail. TJCIS PPS

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Steal Sunshine Leads Upset Exacta In Ellis Park Derby

After breaking through by more than 10 lengths in a claimer at second asking, Steal Sunshine showed enough ability against optional claimers to earn himself a spot in Gulfstream's GI Curlin Florida Derby. While he checked in sixth there, 8 1/4 lengths behind winner White Abarrio (Race Day), Steal Sunshine continued to show promise, posting back-to-back wins in his last two starts, including the Carry Back S. when seen last July 9.

Making his first start outside of Gulfstream Park, the 6-1 runner was left in the blocks and trailed early through the half in :46.01. Still outpaced by nearly the entire field, he began to make up ground with a two-wide move at the top of the stretch that brought him into contention. 49-1 longshot pacesetter Rome hung tough but wore down as Steal Sunshine went right on by on the inside to put daylight on his rival and win by 3 1/4 lengths.

“When he hit the hole in the stretch, he ran all the way to the wire,” winning jockey Leonel Reyes said. “I'm so happy because this is my first time at Ellis Park.”

The first foal out of a half-sister to GI Florida Derby runner-up Reveron (Songandaprayer), Steal Sunshine has a 2-year-old unraced half-sister by Midnight Lute, a yearling half-brother by Maximus Mischief, and a weanling half-sister by Flatter. His dam was bred back to Silver State for 2023. Click for the Equibase.com chart.

RUNHAPPY ELLIS PARK DERBY, $200,000, Ellis, 8-14, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.19, ft.
1–STEAL SUNSHINE, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Warm Sunshine, by Unbridled's Song
                2nd Dam: Carolina Sunrise, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Stylish Star, by Our Native
O-Carrie L. Brogden & Little Red Feather Racing; B-Machmer
Hall (KY); T-Bobby S. Dibona; J-Leonel Reyes. $119,160.
Lifetime Record: 9-4-1-1, $233,910.
2–Rome, 120, c, 3, Empire Maker–Gracer, by Exchange Rate.
($385,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $50,000 2yo '21 KEENOV).
O-Lucky Thunder Stables; B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Schuyler
Condon. $38,600.
3–Strava, 118, c, 3, Into Mischief–Catch My Drift, by
Pioneerof the Nile. ($275,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $825,000
2yo '21 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-WinStar Farm LLC, Siena
Farm LLC and Denny Crum; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Dallas
Stewart. $19,300.
Margins: 3 1/4, NK, 1. Odds: 5.99, 57.50, 2.80.
Also Ran: Chasing Time, Trademark, Knocker Down, Friar Laurence, Top of the Charts, We All See It.

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Sunshine City Goes Gate To Wire In Miss Gracie At Gulfstream

Eight days after going gate-to-wire under claiming conditions, Philip DiCosmo's Sunshine City repeated that performance by leading throughout to win the $75,000 Miss Gracie by 3 ¾ lengths over e Five Racing Thoroughbred's Tik Tok Famous at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Sunshine City, a 3-year-old filly by Creative Cause out of the War Front mare, Object, went to the front and was never headed under jockey Leonel Reyes, setting fractions of :23.60, :47.29 and 1:10.38 before covering the firm 7 ½ furlong turf course in 1:28.16.

It was the third consecutive victory by Sunshine City, who has won four of six turf starts since being claimed by Bobby Dibona for $35,000 in February during Gulfstream's Championship Meet.

Sunshine City returned $4.40. The filly has now won six of 15 starts – five of 11 on the turf – and more than $160,000.

The post Sunshine City Goes Gate To Wire In Miss Gracie At Gulfstream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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