BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Arindel homebred Boots, a three-and-a-half-length winner on dirt in her first race, graduates to face stakes company on the grass for her second start Saturday as she leads a contingent of four Florida-breds into the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park. A total of nine are entered in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, which co-headlines the card with the $125, 000 Royal Palm Juvenile.
The winners of both five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-olds will earn an automatic entry into one of six juvenile stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting in June at Ascot Racecourse and a $25,000 equine travel stipend.
In addition to the purse, eligible Florida-breds by registered Florida sires will chase a $25,000 Florida Sire Racing Incentive bonus paid directly by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. $20,000 will be paid to the owner of an eligible winner and $5,000 to the breeder.
Jockey Samy Camacho teamed with Boots for her debut victory against special weight maiden fillies going four-and-a-half furlongs on April 16. Boots raced a half-length off fellow Florida-bred Celtic Dispute around the turn before drawing off in the stretch to produce the convincing victory.
Trainer Patrick Biacone opted for the Royal Palm Juvenile with Celtic Dispute.
Boots will make her first start for trainer Carlos David in the Royal Palm but will retain the riding services of Camacho when she breaks from the outside post nine. She is the second choice on the morning line at 9-2.
Boots is by Arindel stallion Brethren out of the Ghostzapper mare Medusa. Her second dam is multiple Grade 1-winner Wait a While, the champion 3-year-old filly in 2006.
The 2-1 morning line favorite is Pot’s Right, a length-and-a-quarter winner of a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland in her only race on April 15.
Pot’s Right is trained by Philip Antonacci for Dew Sweepers and is by Bolt d’Oro out of the Speightstown mare Bunskie. She was a $160,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase.
Luis Saez will ride Pot’s Right from post seven.
Nicholas Palmer will saddle Florida-bred Liberty Rings for Teresa and David Palmer.
The chestnut daughter of Ocala Stud’s Awesome Slew was third in her first start in a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream on April 19. However, she and jockey Miguel Vasquez made up two lengths in the stretch to miss by only a half-length behind winning Florida-bred Roadster.
Bred in Florida by Janet Erwin of Belleview, Liberty Rings is out of America First, by Uncaptured and was purchased by Nick Palmer as agent out of the Camelot Acres Racing and Sales consignment at the 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
Liberty Rings is 10-1 in the program and will again have the riding services Vasquez. She breaks from post four.
Also at 10-1 on the morning line is Florida-bred Sass Sass, who makes her first career start for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse.
She worked a solid three furlongs in 36.42 on the Gulfstream main track on April 25, which was the 11th fastest of 46 at the distance that morning. More recently she tuned up by clocking three furlongs in :36.92 on May 1 on the main track at Gulfstream, the fifth fastest of seven moves at the distance.
Sass Sass is by War of Will out of Twelfth Moon, by Malibu Moon and was bred in Florida by Barber and Tina Casse.
Martin Chuan will guide Sass Sass from post eight.
Casse also sends out Florida-bred Pros and Cons for owner D. J. Stable.
Pros and Cons has a morning training pattern similar to her stablemate, clocking three furlongs in :36.42 on the Gulfstream dirt on April 25. Her last breeze came May 1 when she went three furlongs in :37.22, the sixth fastest of seven at the distance.
Pros and Cons is by Justify out of Celestial, by Quality Road and was bred in Florida by Peter Vegso of Mt. Pleasant South Carolina in the name of his Vegso Racing Stable in Ocala, Florida. Pros and Cons was a $375,000 purchase by D.J. Stable at last year’s Fasig-Tipon New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in August.
Pros and Cons is 12-1 on the morning line and will be ridden from post five by Edwin Gonzalez.
Rounding out the field are Joker’s Chic with Joe Bravo taking the riding assignment, Easy Life and jockey J.G. Torrealba, Leonel Reyes will take the reins on Dee Snook (Ire) and Nik Juarez has the call on Mo Town Foxy Brown.
Return to the May 8 issue of Wire to Wire
