BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited) 

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—It has been a productive summer for trainer Michael Yates, whose eight wins during Gulfstream Park’s Royal Palm Meet include five 2-year-olds, four of them nominated to the lucrative Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes Series which kicks off early next month.

The latest is LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable’s Finding Strength, a juvenile daughter of Ocala Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan out of the To Honor and Serve mare Strength in Unity bred in Florida by Elizabeth LaPierre and Jennifer Given.

Finding Strength made it look easy graduating by four-and-a-half lengths Aug. 17 in her second start, a five-and-a-half-furlong state-bred maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies. It was the second juvenile winner on the day for Yates following the colt Garretts On the Go in a $35,000 maiden claimer going seven-and-a-half furlongs on the grass. Both are Florida Sire Stakes nominated.

 

“I thought [Finding Strength] really moved forward off her first race,” Yates said. “Her first race was a good race, but she left herself with a lot of work to do. She was pretty wide, but she really moved forward off the race. We were thrilled with her.”

Third, beaten a neck for second behind top choice Florida-bred Tessellate in debut July 19, Finding Strength settled in third behind another heavily favored Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee in Mystical, as the opening quarter-mile went in :22.02. Jockey Jesus Rios—who rode three winners on the card—moved his filly up to challenge midway around the far turn, forged a short lead after a half in :46.05 and opened up once straightened for home to win in 1:04.80 over a fast main track.

“She had trained really well since her last race and we were looking forward to a big effort,” Yates said. “You never know with these young horses. Looking at the race going in, the filly that was on the lead had worked very well so I looked for her to be forwardly placed. The way that Finding Strength ran the first time, I didn’t feel like there was a need to kind of rush her off her feet. Just let her break well and let her get herself gathered up and try to finish well.”

The $1.2 million Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds by accredited Florida stallions begins Sept. 6 with the $100,000 Desert Vixen for fillies and $100,000 Dr. Fager, both sprinting six furlongs, on opening weekend of Gulfstream’s Sunshine Meet.

FSS actions resumes Oct. 18 with the $200,000 Susan’s Girl for fillies and $200,000 Affirmed, each going seven furlongs, and concludes Nov. 29 with the $300,000 My Dear Girl for fillies and $300,000 In Reality, both during Gulfstream’s 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

Yates swept last year’s colt division with St. Elias Stable’s undefeated homebred Rated by Merit. After being sidelined by bone bruising and missing the Triple Crown, Rated by Merit resumed training in early August at Saratoga.

Previously Yates won the Desert Vixen with Go Jo Jo Go in 2020 and the Dr. Fager with Cajun’s Magic in 2021 and Cajun Firecracker in 2018. He has yet to settle on a next spot for Finding Strength.

“We have not thought much past [Sunday],” he said. “We wanted to see what happened [Sunday] and we’ll make a game plan and go from there.”

Other 2-year-old winners for Yates at the Royal Palm Meet have been the gelding Fourth and Central, filly Ifyousaidso and colt Wine Candy. Like Finding Strength and Garretts On the Go, Fourth and Central and Ifyousaidso are FSS nominated.

Return to the August 20 issue of Wire to Wire