Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out the pair of maiden winners Grand Sonata and Chanceux, each in their South Florida debut, as they chase stakes success in Saturday's $100,000 Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park.
The 14th running of the Dania Beach and 11th renewal of the Ginger Brew for fillies, both going one mile on the grass, are 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.
Pletcher previously won the Dania Beach with Made You Look in 2017, its last of a five-year run as a Grade 3 event. Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata will be making his second straight stakes start after encountering trouble in the 1 1/16-mile Central Park Nov. 27 at Aqueduct.
In that race, the Medaglia d'Oro colt got bumped at the start and trailed the field into the stretch, had to steady at the three-sixteenths pole and wound up fifth beaten less than two lengths after making a belated run.
“I think trip handicappers would certainly take note of that,” Pletcher said. “It was a good ground-saving trip until nothing opened up and, unfortunately, there was just nowhere to go. He got extracted late and was closing really well when that happened, but it just didn't happen in time.”
Grand Sonata ran second to next-out Futurity (G3) winner Slipstream in his Sept. 18 debut sprinting seven furlongs on the Belmont Park turf. He stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for an off-the-turf maiden special weight Oct. 16 at Keeneland, where he led every step of the way for a 2 ¼-length win as the favorite.
“It was a good debut on the turf and then he was able to win off the turf. I think he is a colt that has a future on both surfaces,” Pletcher said. “Right now, we feel like he's a little better on the turf. He had a rough trip last time but he's doing really well. He put in a couple good breezes for us at Palm Beach [Downs] and, hopefully, we can get a smoother trip this time.”
Harrell Ventures' Chanceux is by Speightstown, the champion sprinter of 2004 also trained by Pletcher, out of the Broken Vow mare Rosalind, who was a Grade 2 winner on turf and Grade 1 placed on synthetics. Chanceux raced twice as a 2-year-old, finishing fourth in his Oct. 9 unveiling over Belmont's main track. Moved to the grass next out, he posted a front-running two-length triumph at the same six-furlong distance Nov. 13 at Aqueduct.
“It was a pretty straightforward performance. He broke alertly and took them wire to wire and seemed to make a move forward on the turf, which wasn't a surprise based on the bottom side of his pedigree,” Pletcher said. “It looked like there was plenty of turf there.
“We gave him a shot on the dirt first time out and he didn't run badly, but it looked like he took a big step forward on the grass,” he added. “I think the mile suits him well. I think it's a good intermediate distance to stretch him out.”
Tyler Gaffalione is named to ride Grand Sonata from far outside Post 8, while Luis Saez has the call on Chanceux from Post 5.
Live Oak Plantation homebred Biz Biz Buzz takes stakes credentials into the Dania Beach. After winning his debut Sept. 10 at Laurel Park, the Fed Biz colt ran third in the Oct. 10 Futurity and fifth in the Nov. 5 Atlantic Beach sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont turf. Most recently, he set the pace before settling for third in Gulfstream's one-mile Pulpit Dec. 3. Trained by Mike Trombetta, Biz Biz Buzz is cross-entered in a Dec. 31 allowance at Gulfstream.
Father Glado, owned and trained by Jose D'Angelo; Silverton Hill's Gingrich and DATTT Stable homebred Smokin' T all enter the Dania Beach off maiden victories. Father Glado won going a mile and 70 yards Dec. 9 on the Tapeta at Gulfstream; Gingrich scored by two lengths on a yielding Keeneland turf Oct. 8; and Smokin' T was a two-length winner going 1 1/16 miles Dec. 5 on the grass at Aqueduct.
Completing the field are K.C. Chief, a last-out winner at Gulfstream for owner-trainer Ruben Gracida, and No Nay Franklin, trained and co-owned by Patrick Biancone. No Nay Franklin has run second in each of his two starts, both at Gulfstream. He was beaten a neck in an Aug. 29 maiden special weight sprinting five furlongs on the grass then lost by a head in an off-the-turf edition of the seven-furlong Armed Forces Sept. 18.
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