BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—St. Elias Stables, Turf Express Racing, Inc. and Miller Racing’s 3-year-old Florida-bred filly Jestina, racing for the first time since being purchased privately, paid immediate dividends for her new owners with a popular length-and-a-quarter victory in Friday’s feature at Gulfstream Park.
It was the fifth consecutive win for Jestina and second of the day for the combination of jockey Micah Husbands and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., whose wife Morgan’s Shining Stables owned the gray or roan daughter of Bridlewood Farm stallion Valiant Minister through her first eight races.
“She just keeps winning,” Joseph said. “Congrats to the new owners. We sold her to St. Elias and a few other owners bought into her, so it’s always nice to get the new owners a win in their first run.
“She’s the kind of horse that we feel like is going to progressively get better and now was the right time to get ownership into her,” he added. “She took a while to figure it out, but once she figured it out she’s been on a roll.”
Sent off as the 2-5 favorite over seven rivals in the first condition, $25,000 optional claiming for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, Jestina settled in fourth along the rail as 11-1 longshots Hello Poochy Lou and Miss Brownie battled with stakes winner My Denysse up front through fractions of :22.55 and :45.64.
Jestina paid $2.80 to win.
Husbands was still on the inside awaiting room rounding the far turn, but was able to budge past Miss Brownie at the top of the stretch and send Jestina through a narrow seam before opening up once in the clear. The winning time was 1:25.13 for seven furlongs over a fast track.
“There were two horses backing up and obviously the rider was kind of trying to keep her in because she was the favorite, but eventually she was able to push out a little bit and once she got room she went on,” Joseph said. “She didn’t get the easiest of trips, but she’s been able to overcome those trips and that’s why we feel like she’s progressing and keep improving.”
Purchased for just $7,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2024 October Yearling Sale where she was consigned by Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales based in Ocala, Jestina won one of her first four starts before launching her current streak with a three-length triumph in a first condition, $35,000 optional claiming on April 16 at Gulfstream, her fourth race this year. Her last five victories have come by 18 ¾ combined lengths.
Friday’s win was Jestina’s second straight against older horses, but Joseph hopes to get her back against 3-year-old fillies again for her next start, likely in stakes company.
“Usually your last option is the 3-year-old stakes. After this, now is the time to try to run in a 3-year-old stakes because there’s only so many of them left,” Joseph said. “It’s a big jump from 3-year-olds to older horses. Which one I don’t know yet, but she’ll go to some 3-year-old stakes I would reckon after this race.
“She’s a very cool horse. You can almost ride her like a turf horse. She’s okay with taking dirt, you can keep her on the inside and then she has that turn of foot,” he added. “We feel like she’s going to develop into some kind of stakes level. We don’t know if it’s Florida-bred only or maybe a step higher, but she is getting better.”
Jestina is out of Donatienne, by Bandi and was bred by Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp. based in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Return to the September 26 issue of Wire to Wire
