BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Seven Florida-bred juveniles are set for Friday’s second race at Gulfstream Park, a five-furlong maiden special weight with a purse of $70,000. Five of the seven will run for an additional $25,000 in Florida Sire Racing Incentive money including X G Man, Awesome Noah, It’s Smokey, Strike and Mitts. Win Jet Win and Astrogem are both by Florida sires but have not yet been made eligible for the $1 million FSRI program by their connections.*
This year, there have been four races for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park and all four, including Celtic Dispute’s victory in the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and Liberty Rings’ score in the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, have been won by Florida-breds eligible for the $25,000 FSRI bonuses.
The FSRI bonuses are paid directly by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, and are split $20,000 to the owner of the winner and $5,000 to the breeder.
Strike is the only one of the seven entrants with experience, having finished a gutsy second to Florida-bred Ford Roadster in a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream on April 19. Trained by Carlos David for Arindel, Stike and jockey Samy Camacho went head and head with the winner through a :21.96 quarter mile split only to come under the wire a half-length short while defeating the aforementioned future stakes-winner Liberty Rings in third by a head.
Stike is by Ocala Stud’s freshman sire Roadster out of the winning Wildcat Heir mare Hardcore Cat and was bred in Florida by Susan Kahn of Ft. McCoy. Arindel bought the colt for $57,000 out of the Summerfield consignment of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck at the 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale.
Camacho has the return mount and will break from post five.
Mitts, a half-brother to graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Nooni, will be saddled by Heather Smullen for owner Brett McLean. Smullen as an agent purchased Mitts for $15,000 out of the recent OBS March Sale where he was consigned by Ocala Stud.
Mitts is by Gretzky the Great out of Unanimity, by Union Rags and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell, et. al.
The bay gelding enters Friday’s contest off a bullet work at Gulfstream on May 13, breezing three furlongs from the gate in :36.20, the fastest of seven moves at the distance that morning.
Mitts gets the apprentice allowance with jockey Yolber Torres taking the call and will carry 115 pounds from post six.
The other six starters have 120-pound assignments.
X G Man is the second foal out of the stakes-placed Overanalyze mare Figure, who has one other foal, Chuwa Chief, a winner in Japan.
Trained and co-owned by Mary Lightner with Donald Weber, X G Man is by Chance It and was bred in Florida by Billy Ballard of Williston.
Rajiv Maragh will guide X G Man from post one.
Rounding out the field are Awesome Noah, who will be ridden by Leonel Reyes; Edgar Perez has the mount on It’s Smoking, Win Jet Win will have Jose Morelos up and Astrogem has Diego Herrera named to ride.
*Editor’s Note: Win Jet Win and Astrogem can be made eligible for $25,000 FSRI bonuses with a $15,000 payment made to the FTBOA before they start.
Each 2-year-old winner of a maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming or stakes race at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs during calendar year 2026 will earn a $25,000 racing incentive paid directly by the FTBOA – $20,000 to the winning owner and $5,000 to the breeder.
Return to the May 20 issue of Wire to Wire
