Zayat
Stable’s 4-year-old filly Kays and Jays shipped into Gulfstream Park from
California last month for trainer Mike Mitchell to beat a strong field of filly
and mare sprinters in the 6 ½-furlong Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) on Feb. 13,
and she was left here in the care of trainer Wesley Ward to contest Sunday’s
$200,000 Inside Information Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs.
Jockey
Jose Lezcano gets a return call on Kays and Jays, a daughter of Macho Uno that
finished fifth in the La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. In a
previous foray to South Florida
last summer, Kays and Jays also showed she liked the dirt surface at Calder,
finishing a game second in the $200,000 Azalea Stakes (G3) on Summit of Speed
day, July 11.
Also
shipping in from California last month was Flintridge Stables and STD Stable’s
4-year-old filly Pinkarella, who was nominated for the Hurricane Bertie but won
a six-furlong allowance race on Feb. 12 as the favorite by 4 ¼ lengths for
trainer Doug O’Neill instead.
A
daughter of Malibu Moon, Pinkarella comes back in the Inside Information with
Elvis Trujillo to ride, a trainer-jockey combination that clicked in 2007 with
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Maryfield. Pinkarella had
finished eighth in the La Brea over the Pro-Ride synthetic surface at Santa
Anita prior to the Gulfstream allowance score.
Winning
the Azalea last summer by three-quarters of a length was Andrew Rosen’s First
Passage and the 4-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway is entered in the
Inside Information to make her first start since an unlucky fourth-place finish
in the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga
on Aug. 8 with jockey John Velazquez in the saddle for trainer Marty Wolfson.
First
Passage was a $1.2 million Keeneland September yearling purchase and finished
unplaced in her only start as a 2-year-old at Newmarket
in England
for trainer Brian Meehan. She re-appeared at Gulfstream in the care of Wolfson
last winter, breaking her maiden and finishing second in an allowance race.
First
Passage won a pair of stakes at Calder prior to the Azalea and may have been
best in the seven-furlong Test when she missed the break and fell back to last
of eight down the backstretch before rallying to finish fourth, beaten
only 1 ¾ lengths for it all by Godolphin’s Flashing.
A
challenge coming from another direction for the Inside Information is Fisher
Wallace Stable’s 4-year-old filly Cuvee Uncorked shipping in from Delaware
Park
for trainer Timothy Walters, with jockey Ricky Frazier coming in to ride. The
daughter of Cuvee just missed last out finishing third in the seven-furlong
Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G2) at Laurel Park on Feb. 15, beaten a head for it
all.
Completing
the field of 10 fillies and mares are Edelberg Racing’s Honchis’n Ponchis,
Jesus Castanon; Tom Walters’ Pretty Prolific, Edgar Prado; Joseph Sutton’s
Warbling, Julien Leparoux; Timothy O’Toole’s Saratoga Tango, Javier Castellano;
Windmill Manor Farm’s Thunders Dove, Paco Lopez; and Alex Rankin’s Tar Heel
Mom, Alan Garcia.
Also to
be run on Sunday’s card will be the $75,000 Sunshine State Stakes for
Florida-bred older horses at seven furlongs with a wide-open field of eight
drawn and Patriot Stable’s 5-year-old Famous Patriot among the choices with
Javier Castellano to ride for trainer Tim Hills.
Famous
Patriot is a son of Repent that ran well to finish third behind Bold Start and
Gentleman James in a strong one-mile allowance race last out on Feb. 21 after
dueling for the lead to the upper stretch in his first start since late
September at Belmont Park.
Completing
the field are Ione and Herb Elkins’ Dream Maestro, My Purple Haze Stable’S
Mannington, Rancho Alegre’s Unbridled Heat, Bruno Schickedanz’ Good General,
Luis Olivares’ Green Vegas, Thomas Ryan’s Tommy’s Memory and DeBill Racing’s
Big Push.