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Soothsay Sprints Home to Cap Exacta for Distorted Humor

6th-Santa Anita, $62,000, Msw, 2-26, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.19, ft, 1 1/2 lengths.
SOOTHSAY (f, 3, Distorted Humor–Spellbound {GSW, $231,750}, by Bernardini) prepped for this with a :59.40 best-of-32 breeze from the gate Feb. 19, and while she didn't show much speed from the blocks here, she had plenty of zip when it mattered. The 3-1 shot seemed to be climbing a bit in the early stages as she had just one beaten while racing out in the clear. She began to take closer order while still with plenty of work to do after a :45.86 half, but continued to advance in upper stretch. Building up a full head of steam midway down the lane, the bay catapulted past rivals over the top to win by a widening 1 1/2 lengths. Just Distorted completed an exacta for her 28-year-old sire. The winner's dam was acquired by these connections for $260,000 at KEESEP '11 and took the GII La Canada S. three years later. The half-sister to MGSW Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) produced a More Than Ready filly in 2020 and most recently visited Street Sense. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Claiborne Farm, Perry R. Bass II, Ramona S. Bass & Adele B. Dilschneider; B-Raydelz Stable (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella.

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Known Agenda Possible for Florida Derby

St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda (Curlin) may have earned his way into the GI Curlin Florida Derby field Friday after romping to a 11-length victory in the Gulfstream Park's fourth race, a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds.

“We'll talk about it with Mr. and Mrs. Viola and their team,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We'll talk about it, but I think he ran well enough today that it's definitely in play.”

Known Agenda, who was sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in a field of six, rated off a solid early pace contested by Etched in Stone (Cairo Prince), Top Gun Tommy (Mineshaft) and Warrior in Chief (Kantharos) during a half-mile in :47.89. Top Gun Tommy won the pace battle to take a clear lead into the stretch under Paco Lopez, but Known Agenda loomed large on the turn and quickly took charge at the top of the stretch and drew off under Irad Ortiz Jr. The chestnut covered the Florida Derby distance of 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.47 while equipped with blinkers for the first time.

“Johnny [Velazquez] recommended blinkers last time,” said Pletcher. “We just needed to get him a little more focused. We know he's got a lot of talent. He's shown it in the mornings and hints of it in the afternoon. We're just trying to get him a little more consistent. It looks like today the blinkers helped. He got into the race a little bit more and won impressively in the end.”

The homebred finished fifth in the Feb. 6 GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs following a distant third in the Dec. 5 GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct after getting bumped at the start.

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Gulfstream to Increase Overnight Purses

Gulfstream Park announced it will increase all overnight purses 10%, effective Wednesday, Mar. 3. Mike Lakow, Gulfstream's Vice President of Racing, said the increase is due to the quality of the live program throughout the Championship Meet.

“We are pleased to be in a position to raise purses for horsemen who have been so supportive during this racing season,” he added.

Gulfstream enters the ninth weekend of its Championship Meet with nine stakes (eight graded) Saturday highlighted by the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., GII Davona Dale S., and GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile. The three races will be three of the five graded stakes making up the Rainbow 6. The Late Pick 4 Saturday will include all graded stakes.

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Champion Vequist Heads Ky Oaks Noms

Champion 2-year-old filly Vequist (Nyquist), winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last fall, tops the roster of 106 early nominations to the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Apr. 30. Campaigned by a partnership consisting of Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swillcan Stable and trained by Butch Reid Jr., Vequist is based at Palm Meadows in South Florida and is scheduled to run in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream Park.

Other top contenders that were nominated to the Oaks include Stonestreet Stables' GIII Rachel Alexandra S. winner Clairiere (Curlin) and OXO Equine's runner-up Travel Column (Frosted); Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' GI Alcibiades S. winner Simply Ravishing (Laoban); and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat (Curlin).

Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with nine fillies nominated to the Oaks followed by Kenny McPeek who had eight.

Each of the 106 fillies nominated to the Oaks were made eligible by a $200 payment that was due Feb. 13. Fillies not nominated to the Kentucky Oaks can be made eligible through a $1,500 late fee due Apr. 10 or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at the time of entry. The Oaks field is limited to 14 starters and up to four fillies can be designated as “also-eligible” to start. Eligibility to compete is determined by points amassed during the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” point series.

A complete list of nominations will be available at https://www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen/stakes/nominations/.

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