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Chewing Gum Sticks It To Favored Beer Can Man In Joe Hernandez

In a thrilling photo finish, Chewing Gum was up to win by a thin nose over favored Beer Can Man in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Named for the original Voice of Santa Anita, the Hernandez, originally scheduled to be run at about 6 ½ furlongs on the track's hillside turf course, was instead run out of the 6 ½ furlong turf chute, with Chewing Gum, a 7-year-old full horse by Candy Ride, getting the distance under Umberto Rispoli in 1:15.27. Trained by William Mott, Chewing Gum, who shipped in from his New York base, notched his first-ever stakes win in his 23^rd career start.

Next to last with three furlongs to run, Beer Can Man saved ground at the rail around the turn, tipped out four-wide at the top of the lane and was just up.

Most recently third in an ungraded six furlong turf stakes Nov. 27 at Aqueduct, Chewing Gum was off at 5-1 in a field of seven older horses and paid $13.40, $4.20 and $3.00.

“He is the kind of horse that you have to kind of forget him the first part of the race and Mr. Mott gave me the instructions to be on the outside, and in the stretch I had that gap so I didn't want to lose that chance,” said Rispoli. “For the first part he needs to find his legs and find his rhythm. I would say the ground really, really helped him, he really enjoyed that.”

Owned by Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Jerold L. Zaro, Chewing Gum, who is out of the Forestry mare Shared Heart, is now 23-4-4-8 overall and with the winner's share of $150,000, he increased his earnings to 591,788.

Beer Can Man, who pressed the issue throughout from his rail post position, was back in front a jump past the wire and finished 1 ½ lengths in front of French-bred Bran. Off as the even money favorite under Flavien Prat, Beer Can Man paid $2.80 and $2.20.

Bran, who was making his U.S. debut under Joe Bravo, rallied five-deep at the top of the lane and was third best. Off at 6-1, he paid $3.80 to show while finishing a neck better than English-bred Delaware.

Fractions on the race were 23.32, 46.10 and 1:09.26.

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Courvoisier Relishes Sloppy Track in Jerome Score

Considering how much uncertainty is already woven into a Jan. 1 stakes for 3-year-olds, a wet day at Aqueduct only complicated matters in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes. Aside from having to navigate a one-turn mile in search of qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, the eight newly turned 3-year-olds had to cope with a sloppy sealed racetrack.

Grand Sonata Leads 1-2 Pletcher Finish In Dania Beach; ‘Field Filler’ Alittleloveandluck Takes Ginger Brew

The photo-finish ending to Saturday's $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park was one that trainer Todd Pletcher never had to sweat. That's because the one-two finishers — Grand Sonata and Chanceux — are both in the care of the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track's leading trainer each of the past 18 years.

“I felt bad for the other horse, though,” Pletcher said of front-running Chanceux after Grand Sonata nipped his stablemate at the wire in the one-mile turf stakes. “He ran his heart out. Just got nailed the last jump. But both horses ran great.”

Under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Grand Sonata put in a determined bid in late stretch to barely get past Chanceux.

“He's got a tremendous turn of foot, so we were relying on that,” Gaffalione said. “I could tell around the turn I had a ton of horse.”

Jockey Luis Saez sent Chanceux through soft opening fractions and nearly had enough left in the tank at the end to prevail. But Grand Sonata was just a tick better, closing late to get his head in front at the wire for his first stakes win.

Grand Sonata, a 3-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro and owned by Whisper Hill Farm LLC, was coming off a troubled fifth-place effort Nov. 27 in the Central Park Stakes at Aqueduct.

“He had a really rough trip last time at Aqueduct,” Pletcher said. “It cost him. He was stuck down inside and couldn't get extricated until late.”

Pletcher said he has no immediate plans for Grand Sonata and didn't dismiss the possibility of putting him back on dirt in his next start. The colt broke his maiden on the dirt at Keeneland in October.

“It's something we'll look into,” Pletcher. said. “I just think, as a young horse, he's been a little better on the turf. But he's got a dirt pedigree and at some point we might step out. They've also got a great turf program here, so you hate not to take advantage of it.”

Alittleloveandluck kicks in late to capture $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes
Alittleloveandluck was both good and — and just a little lucky — on Saturday in winning the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

That's because owner and trainer Mike Dini never intended to race the 3-year-old filly in the mile turf stakes and did so only because the track racing office talked him into it in order to fill the race.

“They were short on horses,” Dini said.

Dini's good fortune paid off in the form of the gray filly's 1half-length victory over Ocean Safari. Even-money favorite Opalina was third in the field of seven. Jockey Paco Lopez gave the filly a ground-saving trip before powering past four horses in the stretch for the win.

Dini felt Alittleloveandluck was destined for turf racing but began to have his doubts when the Florida-bred daughter of Arrogate failed to hit the board in either of her first two career turf starts.

She broke maiden on Nov. 12 at Gulfstream in what was his fourth career start, and first on Tapeta.

When the Gulfstream racing office called to see if he would try her once again on turf in the Ginger Brew, Dini figured why not?

“I said, well, I might as well try her one more time on the grass with a short field,” Dini said.

Now, Dini said he intends to keep her on grass, at least for the time being.

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Lightening Larry, Kathleen O. Record Gulfstream Sprint Stakes Victories

Lea Farms' Lightening Larry, second in back-to-back stakes to end his juvenile campaign, turned away previously undefeated favorite Of a Revolution at the top of the stretch and sprinted clear to a front-running half-length triumph in the $100,000 Limehouse Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The fifth running of the six-furlong Limehouse and the seventh renewal of the $100,000 Cash Run for fillies were 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.

Lightening Larry ($8.60) broke alertly and quickly established command under regular rider Romero Maragh, going the opening quarter-mile in 21.75 seconds pressed by Concrete Glory with Of a Revolution settled in fourth on the inside. Maragh remained unmoved as Of a Revolution tipped out to launch a bid leaving the far turn.

“He was just sitting on him, so I felt pretty good turning for home because he hadn't asked him at all. When he did ask him, he responded,” winning trainer Jeff Engler said. “This horse just keeps getting better.”

Of a Revolution, a winner of both his 2-year-old starts, had the length of the stretch to get by but couldn't reel in Lightening Larry, who ran five furlongs in 56.59 before finishing up in a sharp 1:09.40 over a fast main track.

“I didn't expect to be in front, honestly. I thought [Bueno Bueno] would break on top, but we broke so sharp and he just got out there comfortable and just kicked on, which was really nice,” Engler said. “He's a super nice colt.”

Of a Revolution was a clear second, with O Captain, stakes winning filly Last Leaf, Concrete Glory and Bueno Bueno completing the order of finish.

By Uncaptured, the Sovereign Award winner as Canada's champion 2-year-old and Horse of the Year in 2012, Lightening Larry now has three wins and three seconds in seven lifetime starts. He ran second to subsequent Remington Springboard Mile winner Make It Big in the seven-furlong Juvenile Sprint Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and most recently the six-furlong Inaugural Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He's a grinder. He's a blue-collar horse that just goes out there and tries his heart out every time,” Engler said. “He lays it all on the line, and when he broke sharp I knew we were in a good spot.”

Engler said he has not settled on a next start for Lightening Larry. Upcoming dirt sprints for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream include the seven-furlong Claiborne Swale (G3) Feb. 5 and six-furlong Hutcheson March 19.

“We'll just see how he comes out of it and pick something from there,” Engler said.

Kathleen O. Powers Home a Winner in $100,000 Cash Run
Winngate Stables' Kathleen O., in just her second career race, overcame a poor start to sweep past horses on the far turn and power through the stretch to a 8 ½-length victory in Saturday's $100,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.

Handled by the Hall of Fame combination of jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Shug McGaughey, Kathleen O. ($6) completed about one mile in 1:35.97 over a fast main track to earn her second victory in as many tries. She raced once at 2, rallying from last for a head maiden special weight triumph in the slop Nov. 12 at Aqueduct.

“I was hoping she'd break better but she did that the first time. She didn't break that well and it takes her a few strides to get herself up underneath her,” McGaughey said. “Then when she does, [Castellano] said she was there and in a good flow. She got to horses in a hurry and finished up well, so I was very pleased with her. I think she's got a nice future in front of her.”

Breaking from Post 2 in a field of seven under Castellano, also aboard for her debut, Kathleen O. got shuffled back out of the gate and trailed the field as Mi Negrita led the group through splits of 22.74 and 44.94 seconds. Castellano began to let Kathleen O. roll in the clear three wide and she quickly began picking up horses, taking over the top spot from Mi Negrita once straightened for home.

“She has to come from behind. She showed first time in New York at Aqueduct on a sloppy track,” Castellano said. “I don't want to take that away because she doesn't want to be close to the pace. I let her do what she wants. I think Shug he did a great job with the horse. I think she's going to be a really good filly.”

Mi Negrita was a distant but determined second, followed by Fast and Flirty, Queen Camilla, Freccia d'Argento, Jumeirah and Surreal Fantasy.

“I think we've got a lot to look forward to,” McGaughey said. “I'm very pleased with the way she's come along and the way she ran today, and her maturity level. I was just saying to [my wife] Alison, think of what she's going to look like in a year from now. She's always been tall and she's still filling out.”

Kathleen O. is the first horse for Winngate's Patrick Kearney, a Chicago native who spent $275,000 for the dark bay or brown daughter of Upstart, millionaire winner of the 2015 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream. Kearney also has a 3-year-old Noble Mission colt named Cloudy, who went 0-for-2 in 2021.

“They're some people I've known for a while. I play golf with him and he kind of got to asking some questions last winter. I didn't know exactly where he was coming from, but then we ended up buying two horses. One of them is on the farm now but he'll be back, and this filly,” McGaughey said. “This is their first horse, so that worked out pretty good for them.”

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