The racing season for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park will kick off Friday, when a field of four colts and three fillies are scheduled to debut in a $65,000 maiden special weight event.
Carded as Race 2, the 4 ½-furlong dash has attracted several entrants with stakes pedigrees, including Noble Present, a half-sister to Ceci Valentina, a multiple-stakes winner who has earned more than $277,000. Noble Present's owner/breeder Amalio Ruiz-Lozano and trainer Angel Rodriguez campaigned Ceci Valentina, who captured the $200,000 Florida Sire Stakes Susan's Girl at Gulfstream, as well as Gulfstream Park West's Juvenile Filly Sprint, in 2019.
Noble Present was sired by Noble Bird, a Grade 1 winner who earned more than $1.3 million. Rodriguez is also scheduled to saddle Ruiz-Lozano's Rayo, a Florida-bred son of Long Island Sound. Leonel Reyes has the mount aboard Noble Present, while Jesus Rios has the call on Rayo.
Arindel's Quinoa Tifah kicked off the 2020 juvenile racing season at Gulfstream will an upset victory last April. Arindel will be represented in Friday's race by Merlin, a homebred son of Brethren who is a full brother to multiple stakes-placed Genghis. Edgard Zayas has the call aboard the Arindel homebred.
Super Super Stable's Wow Tapit will bring a solid pedigree into Friday's race. The Amador Sanchez-trained daughter of Cairo Prince is out of a Tapit mare whose second dam is Saoirse, a multiple-graded stakes winner in Canada and the U.S. who won the 2000 Sovereign Award as Canada's champion older filly or mare. Hector Berrios has been named to ride the filly who was bred in Kentucky by Calumet.
Joker Racing LLC's Kitodan, a son of Point of Entry out of an Unbridled's Song mare, is set to debut for trainer Jorge Delgado. Kitodan is a half-brother to graded stakes-placed Market King, who ran without success in the 2019 Preakness (G1). Paco Lopez, who celebrated reaching the 3000-win milestone Saturday, has the mount.
Owner/trainer Daniel Pita enjoyed success last year with juvenile filly Princess Secret, who won her debut before going on to win the $200,000 FSS Susan's Girl and $400,000 FSS My Dear Girl. Pita's Broadway Belle, a daughter of Khozan whose dam was stakes-placed five times, is set to debut in Friday's race. Miguel Vasquez has the call on the Florida-bred filly.
Bella Inizio Farm's LLC's Laki Lio, a Jenna Antonucci-trained son of Ride on Curlin, rounds out the field. Angel Arroyo has been named to ride the homebred colt.
Several entrants are eligible for the 2021 Florida Sire Stakes series that will get underway in August.
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