BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Owned by Brian Cohen’s BC Racing LLC, Flakes held off a late challenge by 8-5 favorite Charlie’s Wish to complete a Florida-bred exacta in the Game Face over a muddy six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream Park Saturday. In addition to taking the winner’s share of the $75,000 purse against seven other 3-year-old fillies, Flakes earned a $25,000 Florida-bred win bonus presented by Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association for a $68,650 payday.

Third in the early going behind leaders Queen Karima and It Takes Heart, Flakes and jockey Edgard Zayas glided around those two in the turn for a short advantage past the quarter pole and a clear lead at the top of the stretch. However, Charlie’s Wish made a persistent run in the final furlong only to finish a neck short at the wire as Flakes won in 1:71.96 as the 9-5 second choice. Pachuca was third followed by Arella Star, It Takes Heart, Jellicle Katz, Queen Karima and Florida-bred Girvin Girl.

Trained by Juan Alvarado, Flakes returned $5.80 in winning her first stakes race. The $1 exacta with the two Sunshine State natives also paid $5.80.

Flakes won her first career start by three lengths against $50,000 maiden optional claimers going six furlongs in December at Gulfstream before jumping into Grade 3 company in her second race on Feb. 4. Flakes finished sixth behind winner Red Carpet Ready in the Forward Gal, but bounced back to win a first level allowance over seven furlongs against Florida-bred fillies on Feb. 22. Alvarado then entered Flakes in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on April 1 where she was a respectable third behind winner Affirmative Lady before finishing second to Imonra in a first level, $75,000 optional claiming over a muddy mile at Gulfstream on May 26 just prior to the Game Face.

“We always thought seven-eighths would be her best distance, but she was training well and we just figured we’d try [the Gulfstream Park Oaks],” Cohen said. “I think six-and-a-half or seven furlongs, especially if she gets an outside post so she can stalk the pace, is nice for her.”

Bred in Florida by Arindel, Flakes is by Frosted out of the graded-stakes-placed, stakes-winner Tell a Great Story, by Bluegrass Cat and now has three wins with a second and third in six starts with earnings of $173,330. Flakes was purchased by Cohen under his BC Racing banner at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale for $50,000 out of the Arindel consignment.

Tell a Great Story won the $75,125 Go for Wand at Delaware Park in 2013 and a month later was third to Dancing Afleet in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks. Arindel purchased Tell a Great Story for $60,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in foal to Frosted and sold her at the 2019 OBS Winter Mixed Sale to Watershed Bloodstock. She has four winners from five starters with Flakes as her only stakes performer.  Tell a Great Story also has a yearling colt, Maupansant, by Florida-bred stallion Thousand Words and a weanling filly by Higher Power.