BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE
Soldi Stable LLC’s Gabaldon breezed four furlongs Friday morning at Palm Meadows in preparation for a start in the Group 2 Norfolk (G2) at Royal Ascot on June 20.
The Jose D’Angelo-trained 2-year-old son of Pleasant Acres Stallions resident Gone Astray, who captured the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream May 11, was timed in :49.35.
“It was any easy work. We were looking to condition him for his trip and the race,” D’Angelo said. “We are going to work him one more time next Friday. He leaves for Kentucky on Saturday and from there to the airport.”
Gabaldon set a contested early pace before drawing off to register a debut victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile for 2-year-olds that offered the winner an automatic stakes berth at Royal Ascot, as well as a $25,000 travel stipend. He also earned a $10,000 Top 3 Florida-bred bonus presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Gabaldon set half-mile fractions of :21.33 and :43.80 under heavy pressure before kicking clear to win the five-furlong Royal Palm by a length-and-a-quarter in :56.20.
A $9,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS October Sale where he was consigned by Get Away Farm, Gabaldon is out of Valuable Miss, by Value Plus. He was bred in Florida by Carol Ann Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller.
