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Miles Ahead Best In Claiming Crown Rapid Transit At Gulfstream

David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa's Miles Ahead, a graded-stakes winner in a race for horses that have raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2020-2021, flaunted his class Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained 4-year-old gelding, who captured the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on the July 3 Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream, closely stalked the pace set by Legal Deal before moving to the lead at the top of the stretch and prevailing by a comfortable 1 ½ lengths in the $85,000 Rapid Transit.

The seven-furlong Rapid Transit was one of nine starter stakes in the Saturday's Claiming Crown, an annual event that celebrates the blue-collar horses that support daily racing programs at racetracks throughout the country.

Miles Ahead ($4.60) broke his maiden for a $12,500 claiming price by 12 ¼ lengths in January 2020 after being eased in his debut over turf. The son of Competitive Edge has steadily improved with age while establishing himself as one of the top sprinters on dirt in South Florida.

Miles Ahead ran seven furlongs in 1:21.99 to give jockey Paco Lopez his fourth victory of the day, including three Claiming Crown wins.

Legal Deal, ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, finished second, two lengths ahead of Pudding and jockey Leonel Reyes.

Miles Ahead is likely to return to open stakes company for his next start.

“There's a $100,000 race in Maryland (Dec. 26 Dave's Friend), and there's a race here (G3 Harlan's Holiday, Dec. 19) that's coming up a little too quick,” Plesa said.

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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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Officiating Wins Bear’s Den Over Sloppy Gulfstream Track

Vegso Racing Stable's Officiating took advantage of a dream race scenario in Sunday's $75,000 Bear's Den, kicking in through the stretch to score by 3 ½ lengths over heavily favored Papetu after saving ground while tracking a contested pace.

The Bear's Den, a 7-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds, headlined Sunday's 10-race program that also featured the $60,000 Pembroke Park, a five-furlong overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Officiating, who is stakes-placed on turf, seemed to relish the sloppy track Sunday, when a heavy mid-afternoon shower forced the Bear's Den, scheduled for 7 ½ furlongs on turf, to be run on the main track at seven furlongs.

Officiating, who was ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, settled nicely on the backstretch a few lengths behind a solid pace set by Exchange Day and pressed by Dark Timber. The pacesetters were joined by Papetu, who made a three-wide sweep on the far turn. Dark Timber took the lead into the stretch off half-mile fractions of 22.46 and 45.31 seconds with Papetu looming boldly on the far outside. Eased off the rail for the stretch run, Officiating quickly accelerated and surged between Dark Timer and Papetu to grab the lead inside the 1/16th-pole with legs fresh enough to hold the favorite at bay and claim his first career stakes win.

Formerly trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Officiating ran seven furlongs in 1:23.11 in his third start for Joseph. Papetu, who won the Carry Back two starts back, finished second under Edgard Zayas, four lengths ahead of Dark Timber and jockey Edwin Gonzalez.

The Pembroke Park was also moved from the turf course to the main track, which posed no inconvenience to Golden Kernel Racing Stable's Yes I Am Free, who scored a narrow hard-fought victory and second success in as many starts on off going.

The Laura Cazares-trained Yes I Am Free also notched his first stakes victory since winning the Texas Glitter at five furlongs on turf at Gulfstream in February 2019.

The son of Uncaptured also benefitted from troubled trips that compromised graded-stakes winners Miles Ahead, the 2-1 favorite who trailed the field early after being bumped at the start, and Double Crown, who was forced to race very wide after breaking a step slowly from his far-outside post position.

Yes I Am Free chased early pacesetter Malroux before taking over the lead heading into the stretch with Double Crown on the attack to his outside. Double Crown's progress slowed in mid-stretch but Yes I Am Free was in the sights of rallying Man of Honor and Miles Ahead. The Florida-bred gelding responded to urging from Miguel Vasquez to win by a neck over a surging Miles Ahead, who had launched a very wide extended rally on the far turn. Man of Honor finished third, another neck back and a half-length ahead of Double Crown.

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Espinoza Scores Last Minute Mount, Victory On Miles Ahead In Smile Sprint

Miles Ahead has been slow to develop, but the patience trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., has shown with the 4-year-old colt is starting to pay in a big way.

Three-wide entering the far turn under jockey Victor Espinoza, Miles Ahead drove to the lead entering the stretch to win Saturday's $200,000 Grade 3 Smile Sprint Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. by a half length over Chance It. Diamond Oops finished third. Owned by David Melvin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa, Miles Ahead covered the six furlongs in 1:09.61.

The Smile was one of 12 races comprising Saturday's Summit of Speed card highlighted by the $350,000 Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race also won by Espinoza aboard Ce Ce.

“He's an improving horse…one of those horses you have to have patience with,” Plesa said. “Some of these horses are late developers and he's come around nicely.”

Entering the race off a second-place finish behind Diamond Oops in the $60,000 Hollywood Lakes, Miles Ahead raced three wide down the backstretch just off the pacesetter Willy Boi, who went the opening quarter in :22.55 and a half mile in :45.16. But, around the turn, Espinoza made his move on Miles Ahead and took the lead entering the stretch before driving to victory.

Espinoza, who picked up the mount on Miles Ahead when named jockey Edwin Gonzalez was forced off his mounts after being thrown from his mount in the previous race, said: “It was nice that I was on the outside and I was able to control the race the whole way and see what the inside horses wanted to do. It worked out perfect. It was a pretty talented horse I rode.”

“We gave $175,000 for him [as a 2-year-old],” said Plesa of the son of Competitive Edge. “I worked him he never showed anything. I put him on the turf because he never showed anything, and he got beat 30 lengths. I dropped him in for $12,500 and he won the length of the stretch. He's been an over-achiever since then.”

Miles Ahead, a winner of eight of 16 starts, has now earned $260,000.

The Smile is named in honor of the champion sprinter of 1986 bred and owned by Frances A. Genter Stable. Smile was a Grade 1 winner whose first seven races were at Calder Race Course for trainer Frank Gomez.

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