Trainer
Marty Wolfson had a number of stakes runners from his powerful stable on the
track at Calder Race Course for workouts Sunday morning and plans to have
runners in three of the four stakes races to be run at Gulfstream Park
next Saturday and Sunday.
Team
Valor and Gary Barber’s Motovato and Estate of Edmund Gann’s You and I Forever
breezed easy half-miles in 51 2/5 and 49 4/5, respectively. Both 5-year-olds
will go in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) Saturday going one mile
after finishing third and seventh, respectively, in the Gulfstream Park Sprint
Championship (G2) at seven furlongs on Feb. 13.
Motovato
broke in the air and was left at the start, before launching a big rally around
the far turn and into the stretch, to be beaten a length for it all at the
finish by favorite Munnings. A son of Proud Citizen, Motovato has since been
sold privately by the Estate of Edmund Gann to Team Valor International and
Gary Barber with Wolfson retained as trainer.
You and
I Forever is a regally-bred son of A.P. Indy out of Test Stakes (G1) winner
You, and ran a very big race at Gulfstream on opening day, Jan. 3, to finish
second in the Hal’s Hope Stakes (G3), beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Quality Road.
However, he never really fired in the Gulfstream Sprint, beaten 6 ¾ lengths by
Munnings in his only start since.
Wolfson
has four fillies and mares nominated for the $200,000 Inside Information Stakes
(G2) to be run at seven furlongs on Sunday and plans to run Andrew Rosen’s
4-year-old filly First Passage, who will be making her first start since a
close-up fourth-place finish in the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 8
after being left at the break.
“She’s
trained very well and we’ve worked on her gate problems,” said Wolfson. “The
bad start cost her (victory) the Test. (Javier) Castellano will ride.”
First
Passage is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway and was beaten 1 ¾
lengths for it all by Godolphin’s Flashing after rallying from last of eight
near the top of the stretch after the poor start.
First
Passage was a $1.2 million Keeneland September yearling purchase and finished
unplaced in her only start as a 2-year-old in England
at Newmarket
for trainer Brian Meehan. She re-surfaced with Wolfson here last winter,
breaking her maiden going seven furlongs in early March and finishing second in
an allowance race in two races over the Gulfstream track.
She won
her next three starts at Calder, two overnight stakes, and then the $200,000
Azalea Stakes (G3) on Summit of Speed day, July 11, with Zayat Stable’s Kays
and Jays second invading from California.
The latter returned from California
last month to win the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) on Feb. 13 and has remained
here to run in the Inside Information.
The
Wolfson team’s other stakes starter here next weekend will be Farnsworth
Stables’ 6-year-old Jessica Is Back, likely the favorite in the $75,000 Ocala
Stakes for Florida-bred fillies and mares going seven furlongs on Saturday. The
daughter of Put It Back finished second last out in the $300,000 Sunshine
Millions Distaff going 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 30.
Another
Wolfson-trained stakes star on the Sunday morning work tab at Calder was
Farnsworth Stables’ 7-year-old gelding Jet Propulsion, wire-to-wire winner of the
$300,000 Sunshine Millions Turf here on Jan. 30 and a game third last out
behind Courageous Cat in the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3) on Feb. 20. The winner
there ran the one mile on ‘firm’ turf in near world record time of 1:31 3/5.
Jet
Propulsion breezed a half-mile in 49 3/5 and is getting ready for his third
start for Farnsworth and Wolfson since being claimed for $50,000 at Calder from
a winning effort on Dec. 12. The next race for his division on the South
Florida schedule will be the $100,000 Appleton Stakes (G3) going 7 ½ furlongs
on Florida Derby Day, Mar. 20, but Wolfson has other plans for the son of
Double Honor.
“He’s
going to Fair Grounds,” said Wolfson, referring to the $500,000 Mervin Muniz
Jr. Memorial Handicap (G2) to be run at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Mar. 27. “I
think he’s better going a mile-and-an-eighth like in the Sunshine Millions with
likely a slower pace, than a shorter distance like in his last start.
“I
thought he ran great in the Canadian to go 45 and 1:08 and still be close at the
finish to Courageous Cat, who I think might be the best middle distance horse
in training right now.”
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