Trainer
Todd Pletcher sent out three winners on Thursday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park and jockey John Velazquez rode
three winners, the two teaming up for two. Pletcher extended his lead in the
standings bidding for a seventh consecutive meet title and Velazquez remains
second behind Javier Castellano on the riders’ leader board.
Pletcher
goes into the Florida Derby weekend with 27 victories, 13 more than Nick Zito
in second with 15, followed by Rick Dutrow in third with 13. Nine-time
Gulfstream champion Bill Mott is fourth with 12 while Marty Wolfson is fifth
with 11.
Pletcher
has runners entered in two races Friday, eight on Saturday’s card led by
Florida Derby morning-line favorite Rule, and two more on Sunday.
Castellano
leads Velazquez by five (46-41) going into Friday’s program with Elvis Trujillo
third at 37, Julien Leparoux fourth with 36 and Rajiv Maragh and Paco Lopez
tied for fifth at 34 apiece.
Jockey
Alan Garcia is tied for eighth in the Gulfstream standings with 21 wins and
remains on the 1,000 career victory milestone watch at 998. He is named on
mounts in three races Friday afternoon.
Trappe Shot Takes Conservative Path
in Sunday Allowance Feature.
Mill
House’s 3-year-old Trappe Shot was very impressive breaking his maiden by 10 ¼
lengths going six furlongs in 1:09 2/5 at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 21 with
jockey Alan Garcia aboard for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, a performance that
could have sent him directly into stakes company, possibly even Saturday’s
seven-furlong Swale Stakes (G2) for which he was nominated.
Trappe
Shot’s connections instead opted for Sunday’s allowance race restricted to
Florida-breds at 6 ½ furlongs for the highly-promising colt’s next start with
Garcia on a return call in a field of seven 3-year-olds.
Trappe
Shot is a chestnut colt by Tapit purchased for $850,000 at the Eastern May sale
of 2-year-olds at Timonium and finished fifth after a bad start in his debut at
Saratoga in late July, his only start before breaking his maiden here as the
3-to-5 favorite that day.
Trappe
Shot’s most dangerous rival may be Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Roman Hall with
Rajiv Maragh aboard for trainer Tom Albertrani. The son of Burning Roma was
purchased for $85,000 at the OBS February 2-year-old sales and won his career
debut at Meadowlands on Nov. 3 by 6 ½ lengths. In one start since he flashed
speed before tiring to seventh in an allowance race here on Feb. 25 won by
Soaring Empire.
Completing
the field for Sunday’s race are Veronica Sarabia’s Double Judge, Luis Saez;
David Ross’ What a Prince, John Velazquez; Joseph Arriola’s Havanadaydream,
Edgar Prado; Kuehne Racing’s Royal Troon, Jeremy Rose; and Michael Foster’s Non
Compete, Eddie Castro.
‘No Respect’ Again Likely for
Joanie’s Catch in Bonnie Miss
What’s a
horse got to do at Gulfstream
Park
to get some respect from horse players?
Rose
Family Stable’s 3-year-old Florida homebred filly Joanie’s Catch won $266,000
as a 2-year-old in 11 races at Calder, a third-place finish in the $250,000
Delta Princess Stakes (G3) at Delta Downs in Louisiana and a neck defeat when
second in the Sandpiper Stakes to complete her season at Tampa Bay Downs on
Dec. 26 for co-owner-breeder and trainer Barry Rose.
In spite
of her impressive bankroll and 13-2-5-4 juvenile record, Joanie’s Catch was
sent off 48-to-1 in the Old Hat Stakes (G3) on Jan. 9 at Gulfstream, finishing
second to longshot Richiegirlgonewild, and came back in the Forward Gal Stakes
(G2) on Jan. 31 at odds of 51-to-1 to finish second to Bickersons.
Last out
on Feb. 13, Joanie’s Catch was sent away a 27-to-1 chance in the Davona Dale
Stakes (G2) and finished second behind Amen Hallelujah, and is set to face that
rival again in Saturday’s $150,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2) with regular rider
Paco Lopez aboard. She is listed on the morning line at 10-to-1.
The
familiar pink and gray Rose Family colors were in the winners’ circle after the
1995 Bonnie Miss worn by jockey Kristi Chapman after the stable‘s homebred
filly Mia’s Hope won the race with family patriarch Harold Rose as trainer.
Mia’s Hope’s foal of 1997 was the colt Hal’s Hope, storybook winner of the 2000
Florida Derby (G1).
Harold
Rose passed away in 2003 at age 92.
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