BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Tim Hoese’s Stunning Sapphire, a $230,000 daughter of Ocala Stud stallion Win Win Win, comes to Florida for Saturday’s $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl after racing previously in Iowa, Kentucky and Minnesota.
Stunning Sapphire has “gotten around,” as trainer Nik Goodwin said.
The filly debuted July 4 at Prairie Meadows with a sixth-place finish in the $101,000 Prairie Gold Lassie before breaking her maiden Aug. 18 on the turf at Ellis Park. She then shipped to Canterbury Park where she finished sixth under allowance conditions on Sept. 20.
“You hate to run first time in a stakes, especially after she drew the one post,” Goodwin recalled. “She broke her maiden nice and, in her last start, she didn’t like that track. It was heavy and she didn’t get hold of it.
“She’s doing good right now. Her calling might be on the grass. She’s out of a Smart Strike mare [Kiteta], but she had a nice breeze here at Keeneland last week [five furlongs in 1:00.60] and we think she’s a really nice filly.”
Goodwin, a former jockey and exercise rider, said Nik Juarez, who worked the horse at Keeneland, will ride Saturday.
Stunning Sapphire was bred in Florida by the late Brereton C. Jones and has earned $33,768 from her three wins.
Flowko Returns Off Maiden Win in Susan’s Girl
After gamely breaking her maiden Oct. 3 at odds of 15-1, Rory Miller’s Flowko will return Saturday to try and pull another upset in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, the second leg in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes.
Flowko, a 2-year-old daughter of Arindel’s Brethren, is out of the Florida-bred With Distinction mare Vino de Pago, who was willed to Miller by owner and breeder Frank Ferola. The mare, who recently passed away, also produced Miller’s Florida-bred stakes winner Lets Go Koko, who has earned nearly $300,000 and has won seven of last 12 starts.
Flowko, named for Miller’s granddaughter and his appreciation of track and field star Florence Griffith-Joyner (nicknamed Flo-Jo), was seventh in her debut going five furlongs back in July. After finishing second against open company Sept. 12 at five furlongs on synthetic, the filly battled back after losing the lead to win against state-bred company two weeks ago at six furlongs.
“She came out in good shape. She’s on schedule,” Miller said. “It’s a quick turnaround, two weeks, but she’s very level-headed. The race came up with a lot of pretty good horses but she’s doing well.”
Return to the October 17 issue of Wire to Wire
