BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing LLC’s R Harper Rose will bring graded-stakes credentials into Sunday’s $100,000 Any Limit at Gulfstream Park, coming off a strong winning performance in the Feb. 3 Forward Gal (Grade 3).
As impressive as her performance may have been in her last race, the 3-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Khozan’s two-length score was further flattered by Forward Gal runner-up Fiona’s Magic’s upset victory in the March 2 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream.
“Going into the race, it looked like a very competitive race on paper. She was able to sit off a horse and then draw off to win. Seeing that horse come back to win the Davona Dale makes you feel good that the form is pretty strong,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.
R Harper Rose is undefeated in four one-turn starts, the only loss of her career coming in a second-place finish around two turns in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl in the last start of her juvenile season Dec. 2 at Gulfstream. Two months later, the daughter of Khozan recaptured her one-turn form in the seven-furlong Forward Gal.
“She’s been doing well. She’s done well since her last race. She’s had a couple works,” Joseph said. “It’s a good spot to get her started back up after her last race.”
Harper Rose debuted Aug. 5 over a muddy Gulfstream track, romping to victory by six-and-a-quarter lengths in a five-and-a-half furlong maiden special weight event. She came right back to capture an open five-and-one-half furlong optional claiming allowance Sept. 22 by five-and-three-quarter lengths before scoring a four-length triumph in her stakes debut in the Oct. 22 Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl at seven furlongs. In the My Dear Girl, R Harper Rose set the pace into the stretch before being overtaken by Honey Dijon, who had finished second in the Susan’s Girl.
Joseph is also represented in the field of 3-year-old fillies by Gentry Farm’s Candy Gray, a daughter of Twirling Candy who was impressive on debut Sept. 24. Candy Gray.
“She was training really well before her first race, but you still have to see it happen. She won well. She was one of our best fillies before that training-wise,” Joseph said. “She had a little setback and we had to wait for her.”
Edgard Zayas has the return call on R Harper Rose, while Irad Ortiz Jr. is scheduled to ride Candy Gray for the first time.
AMO Racing USA’s Launch, a daughter of Omaha Beach who was Group 3-placed on European turf last year, will seek her first stakes victory in the U.S. in the Any Limit. The Jorge Delgado-trained filly has adapted nicely to dirt in three starts. After breaking her maiden by seven-and-one-half lengths in her U.S. debut last fall at Delaware Park, Launch finished second in the Jan. 7 Glitter Woman at Gulfstream and came back to win a six-and-one-half furlong optional claiming allowance in front-running fashion.
David Egan has the return call.
Sam Wilensky’s Florida-bred Chi Chi brings a lot of stakes experience into the Any Limit. The daughter of Audible broke her maiden in her third career start in the Sept. 24 E. L. Gaylord Memorial at Remington Park. She came right back to win the Juvenile Fillies Sprint for freshman Florida-bred fillies at Gulfstream Nov. 11. The Herman Wilensky-trained filly most recently finished an even third behind R Harper Rose in the Forward Gal.
Junior Alvarado has the return mount Saturday.