BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A winner of the South Beach overnight handicap last year and three times stakes placed, Florida-bred Miss Mary Nell produced her first black-type victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $89,750 Ginger Punch Handicap for nine fillies and mares. Originally scheduled for one mile on the turf, the Ginger Punch was switched to the all-weather course and run at a mile-and-70-yards.
Third in her previous start on August 16 in the $70,000 Frolic’s Revenge overnight handicap won by Fantasy Performer with both assigned 122 pounds on the Gulfstream grass, Miss Mary Nell avenged that loss with a one-pound break this time. Fantasy Performer was the 123-pound top weight in the Ginger Punch while Miss Mary Nell carried 122 pounds including substitute rider Jonathan Ocasio.
Ocasio was riding in place of jockey Leonel Reyes, who took off his final three mounts of the day after being involved in a spill shortly after the start of Race 6. Reyes, who had been aboard in four of Miss Mary Nell’s prior five starts, walked off the track and reported only body soreness. His mount, Redhotnotbothered, was uninjured.
“I feel bad that Leonel [Reyes] had a spill earlier. He’s okay but it’s better he takes the rest of the afternoon off and come back next week,” trainer Carlos David said. “I feel bad that he had to take off, but Jonathan did a really good job.
Florida-bred Lets Go Koko got the jump from post two in the Ginger Punch as Ocasio hustled Miss Mary Nell from post eight, hitting the clubhouse turn four-wide in third, just off runner-up Crafty Collector. Miss Mary Nell raced two lengths off Lets Go Koko and Crafty Collector down the backstretch through easy quarter-mile splits of :24.47 and :48.13 then took on Lets Go Koko into the far turn as Crafty Collector dropped back. Miss Mary Nell turned for home two lengths in front before Fantasy Performer and Defiant Lass went past Lets Go Koko in deep stretch, but neither could reach Miss Mary Nell, who won by three-quarters of a length in 1:41.67. Fantasy Performer was second by a neck ahead of Defiant Lass in third. Lets Go Koko, Florida-bred City Minute, Spicy Princess, Ghosts Lil Secret and Crafty Collector finished in that order. Barakah was scratched.
“I wanted to get the lead, but I told Jonathan she doesn’t need to get it. I would rather go to the lead and just kind of walk it, but if somebody else goes you can sit off a little bit and she’ll be okay,” David said. “She ran good on the grass last time, but I also thought coming off the turf was an advantage for us.”
Miss Mary Nell paid $10.80 to win.
“[David said] to just keep comfortable with her, but if somebody goes, just stay behind them,” Ocasio said. “That’s what we did and she responded very well.”
Miss Mary Nell is now six for 13 with two seconds and a third on the Gulfstream synthetic including her victory in the $100,000 South Beach in January. She also finishing second in both the $75,000 Martha Washington at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on turf in June of last year and in the $82,000 Monroe going a mile on the grass on May 16. She was also third in the $100,000 FHBPA Filly and Mare Turf going a mile on April 25.
Miss Mary Nell improved her career record to seven wins, four seconds and four thirds in 25 races with earnings of $390,233.
A homebred for Palm Beach Racing, Miss Mary Nell is by Girvin out of the winning Florida-bred mare Tempest’s Flash, by It’s No Joke. Miss Mary Nell is a half-sister to stake-placed Florida-bred Ababajoni, who was second in this year’s Cutler Bay on the Gulfstream green.
Tempest’s Flash has seven foals of which three are winners from four starters. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly, Esther’s Winner; and an unnamed yearling filly, both by Ocala Stud’s Win Win Win and bred in Florida by Hallmarc Stallions. She has an unnamed weanling colt by Pleasant Acres Stallions resident Neolithic, also bred in Florida by Hallmarc Stallions.
Esther’s Winner sold for $65,000 to Charles L. Biggs at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale where she was consigned by David McKathan and Judy Mihalic’s Grassroots Training and Sales and is currently in training at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.
Notes: Miss Mary Nell is the third Florida-bred winner of the Ginger Punch Handicap. She joins Shifty She in 2021 and Lovely Luvy in 2022.
Miss Mary Nell is the 55th Florida-bred winner of an open stakes in 2026.
Portions of the report were taken directly from a Gulfstream Park press release.
Return to the September 12 issue of Wire to Wire
