EDITED GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS RELEASE
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Following in the footsteps of her younger stablemates, Town and Country Racing’s 5-year-old mare Moon Spun hopes to find some stakes success of her own in Saturday’s $125,000 Ladies Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park for fillies and mares four and older going five-furlongs.
Moon Spun is trained by Brian Lynch, whose seven stakes wins include the Sweetest Chant and Ginger Brew on turf and Wait a While on the all-weather Tapeta with Sister Troienne, who has won five straight races, and the Kitten’s Joy with Thousandsticks.
Since coming back from more than a year between starts, Moon Spun has put together back-to-back wins on the Gulfstream turf capped by a popular triumph over two-time Grade 3 winner Haulin Ice in the five-furlong Abundantia Dec. 27.
“She’s doing great,” Lynch said. “She seems to be on a little roll of her own. Her last work I thought was very impressive leading up to the race. She’s matured a lot. She’s a big, strong filly now.”
Lynch captured the 2024 Ladies Turf Sprint with Stone Silent, who would go on to win Gulfstream’s Captiva Island in her subsequent start and run third in the Grade 2 Franklin at Keeneland in what would be her career finale.
In the Abundantia, Moon Spun dueled with Etrurian up front and then kept Haulin Ice at bay through the stretch to prevail by a neck. She was able to perform despite being a little keyed up before the race, which Lynch said is not unusual for the high-strung filly.
“She’s tough to do anything with, really. Like they say, ‘If they don’t fight with you, they won’t fight for you,’” Lynch said. “And she’ll fight with you.”
Moon Spun continues to reward her connections after missing 13 months following a two-length open allowance victory over older horses in October 2024 at Keeneland. Lynch credits Town and Country’s Kiki Courtelis with letting him take his time bringing her back.
“Town and Country is very patient. They’ve got a beautiful farm, and they rehabbed her up there and gave her all the time she needed,” he said. “We didn’t start her back up until we got the green light. We followed the right protocol and hopefully she’s going to pay us back.”
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, up for both wins at the meet, returns to ride from Post 7 as the 8-5 program favorite in a field of eight that includes multiple stakes winners Choose Joy and Twirling Queen.
Breaking from post 8, Florida-bred Cart Girl Sam with odds of 9-2 has a record of four wins, three seconds and two thirds in 11 starts with earnings of $230,288. Bred by Marianne McKay Smith’s English Range Farm of Ocala, Cart Girl Sam is coming off a strong second place finish in the Pan Zareta at the Fairgrounds on Nov. 29.
Trained by Rohan G. Crichton, the mare is owned in part by Crichton along with Dennis G. Smith and Daniel L. Walters.
By Tapiture out of County Club by City Zip, Crichton purchased her at the Ocala Breeders’ April Sales out of the Envision Equine consignment for $77,000.
Going off at 30-1, Florida-bred Tree C’s Kai is owned by Melondee Bryn McInnish and was bred by Bryn McInnish of Williston. The five-year-old mare is by Bucchero out of Stormy Union by Dixie Union.
Coming off an allowance claimer on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park, her trainer Andrea L. Puckett has her riding a two-race win streak, also having won at Gulfstream on Dec. 18. In that race, she took control early at the quarter pole to lead the rest of the race. With a record of three wins, two seconds, and eight thirds in 21 starts, she has earned $174,040.
“We connected with Tree C’s Kai, whose named after Bryn’s mother Trecy, at a Pleasant Acres stallion show a couple years ago. Bryn and I were chatting and she had mentioned her Bucchero and Curlin’s Honor finishing up at Sharon Biamonte’s place, so she sent them to Dwight and I over at Classic Mile,” Puckett said.
“She’s training excellent and she rebounded well off her last race and it’s a good time to put her in. Bryn’s thrilled,” Puckett said.
“It’s a joint effort with my husband Dwight and myself. We’re a team and we’ve enjoyed this. It’s been a very long time and my name as trainer the last time was in 2012 I think. We’ve both been in the business 40 plus years,” Puckett said.
Choose Joy is a 10-time winner of $443,535 in purses from 29 starts for owner-trainer Steve Dwoskin. The 9-year-old mare won a five-furlong optional claiming allowance Oct. 3 on the Tapeta, her first start in more than 14 months, and has been off the board in two subsequent races including a fifth – beaten less than two lengths – in the Abundantia.
Hernan Gomez’s 5-year-old mare Twirling Queen is the richest horse in the Ladies Turf Sprint with a bankroll of $627,076 from 17 starts, seven of them wins. Four of her victories have come in stakes including the 2024 Melody of Colors at Gulfstream, Mamzelle and Coronation as part of a four-race win streak. That fall she also won the Sen. Ken Maddy sprinting on the Del Mar turf.
Twirling Queen ran six times last year with one second and an open five ½-furlong allowance win Oct. 23 over the Keeneland turf before being put away after running sixth in the Islamorada overnight handicap Nov. 30 on the Gulfstream Tapeta.
“She needed a break. She had been running too much so that’s why we decided to give her the time. She’s had three pretty works since her last race,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said. “Now she looks like she was before. She really likes it here. We’re looking forward to the race.”
Fourth by less than a length in last summer’s Grade 3 Caress at Saratoga, Twirling Queen shares the shedrow with 4-year-old filly Shisospicy, who won the Limestone, Mamzelle – promoted to a Grade 3 last year – Grade 2 Music City and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint to be named champion female sprinter of 2025.
“[Twirling Queen] was just unlucky, because she won almost the same races as Shisospicy, but they were ungraded,” D’Angelo said. “But she’s a nice filly.”
David Egan will ride Twirling Queen for the first time Saturday, breaking from Post 6.
“She can run wire-to-wire, and she can run behind the speed. She’s a very versatile filly. She’s just a runner. She looks ready to me. The last workout was very good, and she looks fit and ready to go,” D’Angelo said. “It was hard to find her form again last year, but she looks like she’s on the right track again.”
Completing the field are stakes-placed Flamingo Way, Le Amazonia, and Without Cause.
The 17th running of the Ladies Turf Sprint headlines a 12-race program that kicks off at 12:20 p.m.
Tammy A. Gantt contributed to this story.
Return to the February 6 issue of Wire to Wire
