Nominations Lists Deep in Quality for Season’s 1st Turf Stakes

Juvenile Turf Stakes Wait a While, Pulpit, Set for Dec. 10
Bluebirds Over, Honor D Lady Pointed to 3YO Turf Stakes
Sano Looking Ahead to Harlan’s Holiday, Remsen
Double Crown Trainer Open to Pegasus Invitation

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Trainer Jack Sisterson took some friendly advice to heart and ended up owning Sea Hunter, a juvenile colt with a future who will seek to following a recent debut victory in an entry-level optional claiming allowance Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“The horse was bought by a good friend of mine, Ben McElroy, who does a great job buying horses for Wesley Ward and Stonestreet, and you see what success they have had at Royal Ascot together,” Sisterson said. “With Ben involved, you’re always a couple of steps ahead in the game when he buys you a horse. The horse came into the barn with higher expectations and he lived up to that in his debut performance.”

Sea Hunter, an Irish-bred son of Dandy Man, saved ground before making a five-wide move to the lead while graduating at first asking in a five-furlong maiden special weight dash on Tapeta at Gulfstream Park Oct. 29.

The Sisterson trainee is scheduled to make his turf debut in Saturday’s Race 3, a five-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

“We thought he’d be one who would like the faster turf in America, and that’s why we decided to bring him to the United States to run,” Sisterson said. “We’re excited to get him on the firm turf at Gulfstream because he worked so well on the firm turf at Palm Meadows the other day.”

Sisterson will saddle Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and William Branch’s Baby Bill for the first time prior to Saturday’s Race 4, a 6 ½ maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds on the main track. The gelded son of Gormley finished second in both of his first two career starts for trainer Norm Casse at Churchill Downs before being privately purchased and transferred to Sisterson.

“We were able to breeze him once over the dirt at Palm Meadows and he did that extremely well. He’s a big, beautiful horse,” Sisterson said. “Ideally, we wanted to run him in the one-turn maiden, but that didn’t fill. But he sprinted twice at Churchill. We thought this race would benefit him. He’s bred to go further. His first two runs at Churchill were very good. We’re excited to get him going on Saturday.

Sisterson saddled Calumet’s What Say Thee for a long-awaited maiden victory last Saturday in a mile-and-70-yard race on Tapeta at Gulfstream.

“He’s always been a stakes horse from Day 1. I think less than a victory last week would have been disappointing because of the way he trained. He’s always trained like a stakes horse,” Sisterson said.

The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief finished fourth in his debut at Gulfstream in February 2021 before going to the sidelines for a year and a half. He came back to finish a troubled third in a maiden special weight race at Del Mar Sept. 3, earning a berth in the Oct. 1 Japan Cup at Laurel Park. Unfortunately, the stakes was taken off the turf onto a sloppy track, and What Say Thee Struggled. Back on the turf, he lived up to expectations.

“We’ll check the condition book in January to see if there’s a mile-and-three-eighths or mile-and-a-half allowance for him to get him stretching out,” Sisterson said. “Then, we’re looking at the McKnight on Pegasus Day for him.”

The $200,000 W.L. McKnight (G3) is a 1 ½-mile turf stakes for 4-year-olds and up Jan. 28 on the undercard of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1).

Nominations Lists Strong for Season’s First Turf Stakes

The $75,000 Wait While and $75,000 Pulpit are scheduled to be the first stakes contested over Gulfstream Park’s new turf course Saturday, Dec. 10.

The nominations lists for the juvenile stakes are deep in quality with 25 nominations received for the 7 ½-furlong Wait a While for fillies and 22 nominations for the 7 ½-furlong Pulpit.

Augustin Stable and trainer Jonathan Thomas are represented on the Wait a While nominations list by a pair of extremely promising fillies in Delight and Born Dapper. Delight, a daughter of Mendelsohn, captured the Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland before fading to 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) following a wide trip. Born Dapper, a daughter of Union Rags, following up a solid maiden score on turf at Monmouth with a 3 ¼-length victory in the off-the-turf Laurel Futurity.

Madaket Stables LLC’s G Laurie, who finished a troubled third in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine following a six-length debut romp at Colonial Downs for trainer Graham Motion; Lael Stables’ Navy Goat, a going-away winner on Tapeta in the Juvenile Fillies for Florida-breds at Gulfstream following a maiden triumph at Kentucky Downs for trainer Arnaud Delacour; St. Elias Stable’s Junipermarshmallow, a Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Quality Road, who closed from well off the pace to score at first asking over Keeneland’s turf course; and trainer Jorge Abreu, Robert Photos and Sportsmen Stable’ Georgees Spirit, a daughter of Mor Spirit who graduated at Saratoga and most recently was stakes-places at Aqueduct; are among the most notable nominees for the Wait a While.

The Motion-trained Nagirroc and Souzak are prominent on the Pulpit nominations list. Madaket Stables LLC, Little Red Feather Racing and William Strauss’ Nagirroc, who graduated and won the Futurity (G3) at Aqueduct, is coming off a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Keeneland. R. Larry Johnson’s Souzak has yet to start in the U.S. following a three-race winning streak in France.

Pletcher is represented on the Pulpit nominations list by Harrell Ventures LLC’s Sendero, a stakes winner at Colonial who was beaten by less than two lengths while finishing fifth in the Awad at Aqueduct last time out. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Ari Gold most recently graduated by 2 ¼ lengths at Aqueduct.

Bluebirds Over, Honor D Lady Pointed to 3YO Turf Stakes

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Seltzer’s Bluebirds Over and Madaket Stables LLC and James Matthew Thompson’s Honor D. Lady will be pointed to 3-year-old turf stakes during the upcoming Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park following the promising performances over Woodbine’s Tapeta Course last weekend.

Bluebirds Over, a son of English Channel, rated just off the pace before drawing away to a 1 ½-length victory in the $150,000 Grey Stakes (G3) for juveniles.

“He’ll follow the 3-year-old series here. He’ll probably run in at least one or two of them,” Joseph said. “He’s grass. He’s won on Tapeta, but he has a turf pedigree.”

The major stakes for 3-year-olds on turf include the $125,000 Dania Beach Jan. 7, the $175,000 Kitten’s Joy (G3) Feb. 4, and the $250,000 Palm Beach March 4.

Honor D Lady chased the pace and held well to finish third, a length behind the winner, in the $150,000 Mazarine for juvenile fillies.

“She’ll follow the [turf] series for fillies,” Joseph said. “Eventually, she might go back on dirt once because she’s a useful filly.

The major turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies include the $125,000 Ginger Brew Jan. 7, $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) Feb. 4, and the $250,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) March 4.

Joseph’s immediate plans for recent impressive debut winner Mr. Ripple hit a temporary roadblock.

“He was entered [Sunday] but we scratched him. We were going to go to the Remsen, but he ended up spiking a temp, so he ended up missing both of them,” Joseph said. “He’ll come back in an allowance here, and if it’s not too late he’ll go to the Holy Bull.”

The $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 4, is the first major prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Mr. Ripple, a son of Dialed In, rolled to a 9 ¼-length debut victory at a mile Oct. 15.

Sano Looking Ahead to Harlan’s Holiday, Remsen

Trainer Antonio Sano is optimistic about the winter season, and a big part of it could be Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Simplification.

Owned by Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric, Simplification was back on the work tab last week for the first time since finishing seventh Nov. 5 in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The 3-year-old son of Not This Time, third in the Florida Derby (G1) and fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), is doing well, Sano said, and is being trained for a winter campaign at Gulfstream.

“He worked well, and the plan is to go [Dec. 31] in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3),” said Sano, referring to the 1 1/16-mile event that has been used as a prep for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28. “He came out of the Breeders’ Cup perfect. I was happy with the way he ran. We’re going to see what happens in the Harlan’s Holiday and after December we will think about Pegasus.”

Sano, who saddled Gunnevera to a third-place finish in the 2018 Pegasus and sixth-place finish in the 2019 Pegasus, will have a presence at Aqueduct Saturday when he sends out Edward Soto’s Il Miracola in the $250,000 Remsen (G2). The 2-year-old son of Gun Runner finished second in his first three starts at Gulfstream before winning his last at a mile Nov. 12. Javier Castellano has been named to ride.

Double Crown Trainer Open to Pegasus Invitation

Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash and Lola Cash’s Double Crown, a two-time stakes winner at Gulfstream Park in the summer of 2020, could be headed for a return to South Florida in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28.

The seventh running of the 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds and up is the richest of seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses on the World Cup program that includes the $1 million Turf Invitational (G1) and $500,000 Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G3).

Also trained by Lynn Cash, Double Crown most recently upset the one-mile Kelso (G2) at odds of 42-1 Oct. 29 during the Belmont Park at Aqueduct meet, just seven days after finishing fourth in the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park. The 5-year-old Bourbon Courage gelding is entered in Saturday’s Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct.

“If the invite comes, absolutely, we’re there,” Cash said. “I would love that invite to come our way.”

Bred in Maryland, Double Crown won his career debut in a September 2019 maiden special weight for trainer Lacey Gaudet at Laurel. Following the race, he was purchased privately by Dean Reeves and sent to Kathy Ritvo at Gulfstream, where he won the 2020 Roar and Carry Back and was third in the Smile Sprint (G3) in successive starts.

On behalf of his family’s Built Wright Stables, Cash claimed Double Crown for $40,000 out of a runner-up finish June 4 at Churchill Downs. He has won two of six starts since, including his 1 ¾-length triumph over favored Baby Yoda in the Kelso.

“It didn’t just shock the world, it shocked me, too,” Cash said. “My wife and I weren’t there. Her uncle had passed, so we were in Utah at a funeral. The funeral service finished, and we got to the car and got it pulled up, and they were a minute out from loading.

“My wife had no idea the level of race it was. After he won and she’s watching the replay and hearing the announcer she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a Grade 2,’ so she really went wild right there I the parking lot. Everybody probably thought we were crazy. We were jumping and fist pumping and everything else.”

Cash said his familiarity with Bourbon Courage, a Grade 2-winning millionaire raced from 2012-15 by Bourbon Lane Stable, led to him putting in a slip to claim Double Crown.

“The first horses that I bought back in 2011 or 2012, my bloodstock agent was Mike McMahon of Bourbon Lane Stables,” he said. “I was very familiar with Bourbon Courage. I followed him intently as I was just getting in the business as an owner. I followed his career pretty closely, and Double Crown being his offspring is pretty cool.”

Overall, Double Crown has six wins, eight seconds and a third with $548,265 in purse earnings from 24 lifetime starts.

“I describe him like this: he gives you the same 100, 102, 98 [speed figure] output every time,” Cash said. “He’s a measuring stick to where if a race falls below that measuring stick he’s going to win; if it falls above it, he’s going to be right there.”