BY BROCK SHERIDAN
After finishing fourth behind winner Three Witches in the Grade 3 Princess Rooney at Gulfstream in her last start on Oct. 7, Edward A. Seltzer’s Bluefield has been made the 8-5 morning line favorite in the $100,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala for eligible fillies and mares by registered Florida stallions. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Bluefield will be looking for her first stakes victory in the City of Ocala when she faces six others going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday.
The City of Ocala shares the spotlight on the 10-race program with the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Marion County under the same conditions for 3-year-olds and older eligible for the lucrative stallion program administered by the FTBOA.
Second to millionaire and multiple graded stakes-winner Yuugiri in the $100,000 Saylorville at Prairie Meadows two starts back on July 7, Bluefield returns to restricted company for the first time since winning the $60,000 Musical Romance overnight handicap for Florida-bred fillies and mares going six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream on May 28, a race she won by four lengths.
Seldom out of the money in any of her 19 career starts, the 7-year-old Bluefield has won seven with three seconds and three thirds while earning $263,000. She was bred by Seltzer in partnership with Ed Pendray, both of Williston, Fla., and is by Field Commission out of Imtheblues, by Pentelicus.
Samy Camacho will ride Bluefield, who has drawn post two.
Trainer Kathleen O’Connell will try to take her second City of Ocala after she saddled 2019 winner J.P.’s Delight. This year O’Connell has Dream Concert for owner and breeder James Michael Chicklo of Ocala, Fla.
Dream Concert is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line having won two upper-level, $50,000 optional claiming races at Parx Racing in her last two starts. She won going six-and-a-half furlongs in her last start on Oct. 2 after winning at six-furlongs on Sept. 5.
The 3-year-old Dream Concert has made eight career starts, all this year, including three in stakes, two of which came while sprinting five-and-a-half furlongs on turf. She was sixth, beaten just four-and-a-quarter lengths by fellow Florida-bred Beauty of the Sea in the $104,000 Blue Sparkler on the Monmouth Park grass in July; then tenth in the $150,000 Galway won by L J’s Emma on the Saratoga turf on Aug. 12. Dream Concert has four wins with one second while banking $120,670 this year.
O’Connell has named Antonio Gallardo to ride Dream Concert for the first time since her third career start in April when second in a first-level $75,000 optional claiming at Tampa Bay Downs. They will break from the outside post seven.
Trainer David Fawkes won the inaugural City of Ocala with Surprise Wedding in 2017 and will try again with Charlie’s Wish, who is 7-2 in the program.
Another very consistent competitor, the 3-year-old Charlie’s Wish has three wins, five seconds and a third in 10 career starts including a nearly five-length victory in the $100,000 Azalea going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park on July 22. In one start since, the daughter of Double Diamond Farm’s consummate stallion First Dude was second to Florida-bred star R Adios Jersey in the $90,000 Sheer Drama on Aug. 19, also going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.
Charlie’s Wish is owned by Royalight Racing LLC, for whom she has earned $202,554. Out of Superior Sarah, by Werblin, Charlie’s Wish was bred by Three Gin Guys Stable of Mineola, N.Y.
Joe Bravo travels to Tampa Bay Downs from his base at Gulfstream Park to ride Charlie’s Wish and they have post four.
Rounding out the field for the City of Ocala are Hihellohowareyou, who will be ridden by Mychel Sanchez; Atomically with jockey Emisael Jaramillo, Delta Charm with Daniel Centano aboard and Jose Batista ride Pacific Princess.