BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred Boppy O, who has drawn post three for the $125,000 Tropical Park Derby scheduled for a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf at Gulfstream Park next Saturday, worked four furlongs in :49.65 Saturday morning at Palm Meadows for trainer Mark Casse. The Tropical Park Derby also offers a $25,000 win bonus for Florida-breds presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.

The son of Bolt d’ Oro out of Pappascat, by Scat Daddy is a half-brother to graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Pappacap. Both Boppy O and Pappacap were bred by George and Karen Russell in the name of their Rustlewood Farm Inc.

Owned by John C. Oxley and Mike Hall’s Breeze Easy LLC, Boppy O won the $102,000 Jersey Derby at a mile on the turf at Momouth Park in June before finishing out of the money in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational won by Far Bridge in his last race on July 8.

Pegasus Candidates Skippylongstocking, O’Connor Breeze at Palm Meadows

Daniel Alonso’s Skippylongstocking and Michael Iavarone and partners’ O’Connor (Chi) continued to prepare for planned starts in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday morning at Palm Meadows. The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainees breezed a half-mile over a wet-fast racing surface for the Jan. 27 headliner at Gulfstream.

Skippylongstocking, who comes out of a third-place finish to winner Cody’s Wish in the Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 4 after winning the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on Aug 25, was timed in :49.40.

O’Connor, who captured the Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette at Keeneland in his most recent start on Oct. 28, turning in a :49.45 clocking.

Joseph-trained Ny Traffic joined Skippylongstocking and O’Connor on the Palm Meadows worktab.

John Fanelli and partners’ Grade 1 stakes-placed gelding was clocked in :49.50 in preparation for a planned start in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 30 at Gulfstream. The son of Cross Traffic came off a year layoff to win and allowance and finish second in the Hudson at Aqueduct.

Joseph also worked graded-stakes-placed Florida-bred Mish, who went three furlongs in :37.15. Mish is owned by C2 Racing Stables and was bred by Joyce Mary Kielty.

— Gulfstream Park press office

Return to December 16 issue of Wire to Wire