Phipps Family Stable’s 5-year-old Boisterous ended his 2011 campaign
with a pair of graded stakes victories on turf in New York and Sullimar
Stable’s 6-year-old Get Stormy won a pair of Grade 1 turf stakes in
Kentucky in the spring. The two high-class grass course runners meet as
the likely favorites in a field of 11 drawn for the $300,000 Gulfstream
Park Turf Handicap (G1) Saturday.
The Gulfstream Turf at 1 1/8 miles leads three graded stakes to be
run earlier on Donn Handicap Day. The other races include the $150,000
Hutcheson Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs and the $150,000
Suwannee River Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on
turf.
Jockey John Velazquez rides Boisterous for trainer Shug McGaughey as
the Kentucky homebred son of Distorted Humor makes his first start
since a two-length score in the 11-furlong Red Smith Handicap (G2) over
the Aqueduct course on Nov. 5. Boisterous won the Knickerbocker Handicap
(G3) going 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park in his previous start in
mid-October. The Knickerbocker was Boisterous’ first start since a
somewhat disappointing fifth-place try in the Sword Dancer Invitational
(G1) at Saratoga in mid-August.
“He’s always been a good horse, but we kind of got off track with
him in the Sword Dancer,” said McGaughey. “He came back strong in the
fall and then got a little break at a farm in Ocala before bringing him
down here.”
Jockey Ramon Dominguez rides Get Stormy in his first start since a
disappointing 12th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at
Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, a race he had disappointed his connections
the year before at Churchill. Get Stormy ran well in each of six starts
before the Breeders’ Cup, highlighted by victories in the Maker’s Mark
Mile (G1) at Keeneland and Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill in the spring.
“Although the course at Churchill is different in the spring than
the fall, I can’t really give him an excuse for those (Breeders’ Cup)
performances,” said trainer Tom Bush recently. “They remain a mystery to
me. We’ll just have to put that behind us and look ahead to this
season.”
The Kentucky homebred by Stormy Atlantic finished third in the
Gulfstream Turf last year, beaten one length for it all in a good try.
Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out Starlight Stable’s Take the Points to
finish first by 1 ½ lengths in the 2010 edition of the Gulfstream Turf,
but had to watch from the winner’s circle as his number was taken down
by the stewards and placed fourth for interference in the stretch in a
controversial decision.
The Gulfstream Turf is one of only a few major stakes on the
Gulfstream calendar that Pletcher never has won officially while leading
the standings here for the last eight years. He could get that taken
care of Saturday when he sends out Black Rock Stable’s 4-year-old Silver
Medallion with jockey Javier Castellano aboard.
A son of Badge of Silver, Silver Medallion found a home on turf late
last year after a brief run on the Triple Crown trail in the spring
when he finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). In his last three
starts on grass, Silver Medallion has finished third in the
Commonwealth Turf (G3) at Churchill Downs in November and won the
Tropical Turf Handicap (G1) at Calder and Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G3)
over the Gulfstream course last out on Jan. 14.
Completing the field for the Gulfstream Turf are Robert Harvey’s
Hollinger, Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Big Blue Kitten, Bruno Shickedanz’
Yummy With Butter, Harvey Clarke and Andrew Albstein’s Yankee Fortune,
Lael Stable’s Kindergarden Kid, Augustin Stable’s Smart Bid, Brous
Stable and Wachtel Stable’s Al Khali and Godolphin Racing’s Sangaree
entered for ‘main track only’ while also entered in the Donn Handicap.