BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Whatintheliteral, winner of the $150,000 Astoria at Saratoga Race Course in June, will make her first start in her native Florida Saturday in the $75,000 Hallandale Beach at Gulfstream Park. The Jena Antonucci trainee is among 10 juvenile fillies, six of which are Florida-breds, entered in the one-mile contest.
The Hallandale Beach also offers a $20,000 top 3 bonus for Florida-breds presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Whatintheliteral was a surprising winner of the five-and-a-half-furlong Astoria when she wired the field at odds of 13-1 in her third start as a maiden.
However, she has been unable to duplicate that form in two starts since, both at Saratoga. She stumbled out of the starting gate, tossing rider Javier Castellano, in the $175,000 Schuylerviller on July 11 and finished seventh in the Grade 3 Adirondack won by The Queens MG on Aug. 4.
The dark bay or brown filly has produced two solid works at Saratoga in recent weeks, breezing four furlongs in :48.22 on Aug. 17, the 32nd fastest of 161 works that morning; and producing a bullet :47.33 four furlongs among 34 works on Aug. 24.
Owned by horseOlogoy Racing and Craig Steinhart, Whatintheliteral has one win and a third in five starts with earnings of $92,129. She is by Lord Nelson out of Lilikoi, by Freud and was bred in Florida by Bella Inizio Farm LLC.
Jose Morelos will ride from post two.
Andrea is the expected favorite in the Hallandale Beach after an impressive debut at Gulfstream on July 26.
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for C2 Racing Stable LLC, Kuehne Racing and Mark Corrado, Andrea led from the start in a five-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight before drawing off to win by six-and-a-half lengths under Emisael Jaramillo, earning $24,000.
Andrea is from the first crop by Florida-bred stallion Thousand Words out of the Tiznow mare Photoplay. Joseph purchased her for $105,000 out of the Eddie Woods consignment at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale in April.
Jaramillo gets the return mount and they will break from post five.
Florida-bred Valiant Kiss makes her second start against added-money company after finishing fourth last out in the $95,000 Sharp Susan won by Florida-bred Win N Your In at Gulfstream Park on Aug. 10. Trained by Javier Gonzalez for Edwin Mundo Rios, Valiant Kiss looks to improve after an awkward start in the six-furlong Sharp Susan.
Valiant Kiss broke her maiden by a length going four-and-a-half furlongs at first asking at Gulfstream on May 2 and has $43,713 in earnings from two starts.
Valiant Kiss is by Bridlewood Farm stallion Valiant Minister out of Lipstick Traces, by Orientate and was bred in Florida by Nancy Brown.
She is two-time graduate of OBS having last sold for $15,000 to C.H.P.R. at the 2023 October Yearling where she was consigned by Goldencents Thoroughbreds. She did not meet her reserve at the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sales when consigned by Bobby Jones Equine.
Cipriano Gil will ride Valiant Kiss for the first time and they have drawn post six.
Also set for the Hallandale Beach are Florida-bred Miss Mary Nell and jockey Jose Ferrer, Florida-bred Kip the Distance with Jonathan Ocasio aboard, Melvis Gonzalez rides Florida-bred Del Rosario, Florida-bred Souper Zonda has Edwin Gonzalez taking the riding assignment, Mom’s Martini will have Miguel Vasquez aboard, Brenna and jockey Leonel Reyes and Sonny Leon rides Garuda.
