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Tocayo Upsets Agate Road in $125,000 Dania Beach
1/6/2024
Ship To Shore Goes Gate to Wire in $100,000 Limehouse
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Lugamo Racing Stable LLC’s Tocayo benefited from a well-judged ride by Jorge Ruiz to register a 13-1 front-running upset victory in the $125,000 Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park.
Agate Road, the 2-5 favorite making his first start since finishing fifth in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Santa Anita, closed from mid-pack to finish a non-threatening second.
Tocayo set comfortable fractions of 25.32 and 50 08 (seconds) for the first half-mile of the mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds while loose on the lead. Ruiz asked the son of Always Dreaming turning for home and he kicked in to prevail by 1 ½ lengths.
“He was travelling very well in front. He’s a nice horse. The horse was relaxed and comfortable on the lead,” Ruiz said. “The plan was to go to the front and not fight with him.”
Trained by Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, Tocayo broke his maiden in seventh career start on dirt in a $20,000 claiming race at Laurel Oct. 12. The Maryland-bred colt showed a distinct fondness for going in his first start on turf two weeks later while finishing second by a neck after setting the pace in an optional claiming allowance. He came right back to win an optional claiming allowance on turf at Laurel two weeks later. Tocayo was beaten by four lengths while finishing eighth in the Dec. 9 Pulpit in his Gulfstream turf debut after encountering a bumping start and a six-wide trip.
Tocayo ran the mile on firm turf in 1:36.37. Agate Road finished 1 ¼ lengths clear of Depiction.
Ship To Shore Goes Gate to Wire in $100,000 Limehouse
With heavily favored Valiant Force scratched just prior to post time, Holly Crest Farm’s Ship to Shore produced a gate-to-wire victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Limehouse at Gulfstream Park.
AMO Racing USA’s Valiant Force entered the starting gate as the 1-5 favorite for the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds but would be scratched after rearing up in the starting gate, reducing the field to four. The son of Malibu Moon, who broke his maiden in a Group 2 stakes in Europe, was scheduled to make his highly anticipated debut on dirt while coming off a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) in his U.S. debut.
Eddie Owens Jr.-trained Ship to Shore, winless in three stakes starts on dirt and turf since breaking his maiden in his debut on dirt at Monmouth, broke alertly from the starting gate on his way to an eight-length, front-running victory under Hector Diaz Jr. Endsley Oaks Farm Inc.’s Louie the Sun King chased the winner throughout the race under Jose Ortiz,. Golden Rock Thoroughbreds LLC’s Hermoso Hombre finished third, another 10 lengths back.
Ship to Shore ($5.60) set fractions of 22.23 and 45.26 (seconds) for the first half mile on his way to a final clocking of 1:10.51.