BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Hot Rod Honey, the undefeated stakes-winning daughter of Ocala Stud’s leading freshman sire Roadster, will likely garner leading mutuel window support in Saturday’s $100,000 Scandalous Act Stakes. Six Florida-bred juvenile fillies will race six-furlongs with Hot Rod Honey, Boots, Liberty Rings and Colombina running for an extra $25,000 Florida Sire Racing Incentive.
Capped at $1 million, the FSRI program pays $25,000 to eligible 2-year-old Florida-bred, Florida-sired winners of maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stakes run at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs in 2026. Created and administered by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, each FSRI bonus is split with $20,000 going to the owner and $5,000 to the breeder of the eligible winner.
Hot Rod Honey has already banked $50,000 in FSRI money this year at Gulfstream Park having won a $65,000 maiden special weight versus Florida-bred fillies on June 5 and the $96,000 Sharp Susan going five-and-a-half furlongs on July 3. She has $96,050 in earnings, not including the FSRI money, from her two triumphs.
Hot Rod Honey is trained by Carlos A. David for Troy Johnson, Wendall Yates and Robert Fritts. Johnson bought Hot Rod Honey through bloodstock agent Charles Weston and his Weston Thoroughbreds, paying $27,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale where she was consigned by Airdrie Stud.
She is out of Go Together, by Unified and was bred by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones.
Leonel Reyes, who rode Hot Rod Honey in the Sharp Susan, gets the return mount and they will start from post four.
The Scandalous Act offers a rematch from the Sharp Susan as runner-up Colombina and fourth-place finisher Boots take another shot at Hot Rod Honey.
Antonio Sano will saddle Colombina, a daughter of Shady Oaks Farm stallion Mr Louise out of Beautiful Miss, by Tapit.
In one start prior to the Sharp Susan, Colombina won a five-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-bred fillies by four lengths, defeating Scandalous Act rival Jost a Chance Yadi, who finished fourth.
Bred by Luis Ortiz, Colombina has earned $61,350 for owner Cloud Nine Lumoni.
Colombina will have Diego Herrera riding from the outside post six.
Boots is an Arindel homebred daughter of Brethren trained by Nicholas Tomlinson.
She won a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight for fillies on April 16 at Gulfstream in her only start before the Sharp Susan. She sports a lifetime bankroll of $44,213.
Out of the Ghostzapper mare Medusa, Boots will be ridden for the first time by Jose Morelos and they have drawn the inside post one.
Rounding out the field are Mon Coquette, who will be guided by Samy Camacho, Anthony Thomas has the riding assignment on Jost a Chance Yadi and Liberty Rings will have Miguel Vasquez aboard.
Return to the August 6 issue of Wire to Wire
