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Bluefield, Zayas Make It Look Easy in Musical Romance
5/28/2023
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Gross Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $200,000
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Edward Seltzer’s Bluefield benefited from a precision ride by jockey Edgard Zayas on her way to an off-the-pace victory in the $65,000 Musical Romance Handicap Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
The 6 ½-furlong handicap for fillies and mares bears the name of the South Florida-based champion sprinter trained by Bill Kaplan, who passed away last week. Musical Romance was honored with an Eclipse Award as North America’s Champion Female Sprinter following her triumph in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). The Florida-bred daughter of Concorde’s Tune came back the following year to capture the Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream and the Princess Rooney (G1) at Calder Race Course.
Zayas celebrated his first victory since recently returning to action after recovering from a jaw fracture sustained in a spill, and he did so with style.
Bluefield, the 2-1 second betting choice, was patiently handled by Zayas in fourth as even-money favorite R Adios Jersey set the pace along the backstretch, prompted to her inside by Poiema. R. Adios Jersey, who ran the first quarter of a mile in 22.61 seconds under leading rider Leonel Reyes, continued to show the way around the far turn before being joined again by Poiema along the rail on the turn into the stretch. Following a half-mile in 45.39 seconds, Poiema, a 9-1 longshot ridden by Edgar Perez, opened a clear lead at the top of the stretch, only to be joined by Bluefield, who surged on fresh legs in the middle of the track on her way to a comfortable score.
“I really liked this filly after that last race. We started riding her a little more reserved and it’s worked out good,” Zayas said. “Last time, she got beat by a really nice filly. Today, we had the same plan and she made it look easy.”
Bluefield, a 7-year-old daughter of Field Commission, ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.63.
“We think she’s better if the rider is more patient. You can’t push her early or she won’t finish. That was the thing. We did it last time but she got beat by Ralph [Nicks]’s filly [Spirit Wind], who is a really nice filly,” trainer Saffie Joseph said. “Today we wanted to sit back and run them down. If they keep going, sobeit, but Edgard gave her a picture-perfect ride. You can’t ride a horse better than that.”
Poiema held second, three lengths clear of R Adios Jersey.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Gross Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $200,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool will be guaranteed at $200,000 for Friday’s program at Gulfstream Park.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 3-8.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
A well-stocked maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies going five furlongs is carded for Friday’s Race 2, sporting a field of eight with four first-time starters and four entrants with race experience.
Among the fillies with experience are Jose D’Angelo-trained Sun Azteca, who showed speed from the rail in his debut and was engaged in a heated duel into the stretch before weakening to fourth.
First-time starters include Todd Pletcher-trained Ash Wednesday, a daughter of Mohayman, and Ron Spatz-trained It’s Only Words, a daughter of Khozan with a series of sharp workouts.
Also making his first appearance at Gulfstream Park Friday will be apprentice jockey Kenedy Berrugate, a leading apprentice in Panama who graduated at the top of his class at the Laffit Pincay Jr. Technical Jockey Training Academy. The five-pound apprentice has a pair of mounts Friday.