BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Trainer Jose D’Angelo breezed two of his Florida-bred stars over Gulfstream Park’s all-weather course Sunday then promptly shipped them Monday to Saratoga Race Course for their next races.

“Both are here this morning and both made the trip very well,” D’Angelo said to Wire to Wire from his barn at Saratoga Tuesday. “They are both doing very well.

“We have not picked out a race yet for Bentornato, but Gabaldon is going to go in the Mahoney.”

The $175,000 Mahoney (Grade 3) is for 3-year-olds going five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf and will be run Aug. 10 at Saratoga.

Owned by Alfonso’s Soldi Stable LLC and Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani’s Qatar Racing LLC’s Gabaldon has one race this year, finishing third in the $102,000 Texas Glitter won by Incanto (Ire) going five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park grass on March 22. He was scratched from a five-and-a-half-furlong allowance on the Gulfstream synthetic July 13 in lieu of the Mahoney. 

Last year, the son of Northwest Stud’s Gone Astray was introduced with a length-and-a-quarter victory in the $110,000 Royal Palm Juvenile going five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream in May. He then finished a good second to Ain’t Nobody (Ire) in the US$139,000 Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot in June. 

 

He went five furlongs in :57.26 second in his breeze Sunday. 

“He looked good today,” D’Angelo said to the Gulfstream Park press office following the work.

Gabaldon is out of Valuable Miss, by Value Plus and was bred in Florida by Carol Ann Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller. He has earned $99,355 from his three career starts.

Soldi Stables purchased Gabaldon for $9,000 out of the Get Away Farm consignment at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale. Qatar Racing bought a share of Gabaldon as part of a $300,000 transaction at the Inglis Digital USA July Sale in which Fergus Galvin as agent is listed as the buyer and D’Angelo was the consignor.

Owned by Angel Lozano’s Leon King Stable Corp.’s Grade 2-winning Florida-bred Bentornato breezed four furlongs in :48.86 after turning in four three-furlong moves on the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, in previous weeks.

The 4-year-old son Bridlewood Farm stallion Valiant Minister achieved millionaire status in his last start when second to Straight No Chaser after leading in deep stretch of the $1,840,000 Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

 

“He worked good, too. We gave him time off after the Breeders’ Cup and he’s doing very well, also. We’re looking forward to running him at Saratoga,” D’Angelo said. “I don’t have him fit enough yet so I’m waiting to see when he will be ready.”

Last year Bentornato took the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing in September, was third in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) won by Forever Young (Jpn) at King Abdulaziz Race Course in Riyadh in February and was second to Valentine Candy in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial (Listed) at Charles Town Races in August. 

 

He is also an alumni of the 2023 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes having won the $100,000 Dr. Fager and $200,000 Affirmed divisions of the lucrative series at Gulfstream. That year he also won the $90,000 Proud Man at Gulfstream and was third in Seminole Chief’s $300,000 In Reality division of the FSS.

Bred in Florida by Tanma Corp., Bentornato is out of Her Special Way, by Put It Back. He was purchased post sale by Champion Equine for $170,000 after the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-year-olds in training. He was also a $45,000 yearling at the 2022 OBS October Sale where Pro Racing Stable selected him out of the Stuart Morris consignment.
(Bentornato’s Under Tack Video / Yearling Video)

Return to the July 22 issue of Wire to Wire