BY BROCK SHERIDAN 

Mystic Lake and Nic’s Style may be the top two choices on the morning line for Saturday’s $125,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park but fellow Florida-breds R Morning Brew, Ms. Bucchero and Win N Your In also present threats in six-furlong test for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Mystic Lake looks defend her title in the Sugar Swirl as last year’s edition was among her five stakes victories in 2025.

She tries to improve on that number as she has already won five added-money events in 2025 including her last four going back to the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint over a sloppy six furlongs at Lone Star Park on May 26. She has since won the $113,000 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park in July, the $250,000 Pink Ribbon at Charles Town Racing on Aug. 22 and the $150,000 Liberty Bell in her last race at Parx Racing on Sept. 20. She started the year winning the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25.

 

“We’ve given her a little break after her last race because we want her to hopefully have a good campaign next year,” Joseph said. “This is the starting point. We feel like she’s fit enough to be competitive in this race. Hopefully, she’s fit enough to get the job done and then we can move forward toward next year.”

The 4-year-old filly has posted a stellar career record of 11 wins, three seconds and a third in 20 races while banking $1,447,642. A victory would push her past R Disaster in the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Chase to the Championship standings that determine year-end Florida-bred honors.

Mystic Lake is owned by C2 Racing Stable, Stefania Farms and BAG Racing Stable and was a $130,000 purchase by Turf Express Racing Partners out of the Tom McCrocklin consignment at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

She is by Mo Town out of Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday and was bred in Florida by Peggy Costanzo.

Mystic Lake is the 8-5 morning line favorite and Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard for the third straight time. Mystic Lake has drawn post six.

Nic’s Style is the 9-5 second choice in the program with four-straight stakes victories on her resume before failing to win her second consecutive Pumpkin Pie Stakes (Listed) at Aqueduct in her last race. She was a three-and-a-quarter-length winner of the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie on Nov. 3, 2024 that started her win streak. But in this year’s edition, off of a seven-month layoff, she finished fourth, three lengths behind winner Weigh the Risks, the next-out winner of the Go For Wand (Listed) at Aqueduct on Dec. 13. 

After last year’s Pumpkin Pie, the Bill Mott-trained daughter of Uncaptured won the $98,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala on Dec. 14 and the $92,000 Minaret on Feb. 8, both at Tampa Bay Downs; before taking the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream Park on March 8.

Nic’s Style is out of Sense When, by Street Sense and was bred in Florida by D’Oyen Thoroughbred LLC.

Joseph also trains the 3-year-old R Morning Brew, winner of the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen last year at Gulfstream.

Owned by Averill Racing LLC, R Morning Brew has a win and two thirds in four starts this year including a three-and-a-half-length score against first level, $25,000 optional claiming fillies and mares over a muddy six-and-a-half furlongs on Sept. 20. In one race since, she was third in an upper tier, $62,500 optional claiming won by Ms. Bucchero going six furlongs on Oct. 24.

R Morning Brew has three wins and three thirds in an eight-race career with earnings of $184,420. She is by Curlin’s Honor out of Foolhearted Woman, by Uncaptured and was bred in Florida by Dori Morgan Hyatt.

Edgard Zayas has ridden R Morning Brew in seven of eight starts including the last four and will again be aboard from post one. They are 6-1 in the program.

Ms. Bucchero also makes her first start since the Oct. 24 optional claiming victory for owner and trainer Diane Morici.

The 5-year-old daughter of Bucchero has won half of her four races this year with one second. Last winter, she won two straight stakes at Laurel Park including the $99,000 Willa On The Move over a muddy and sealed six-and-a-half furlongs in December and the six-furlong, $100,000 What a Summer on Jan. 18. In July, she was second to Factorbella in the $100,000 Regret at Monmouth Park going six furlongs over a track rated good.

Ms. Bucchero has won half of her 18 races lifetime with four seconds while banking $382,300. She is out of Give Glory to God, by Mutakddim and was bred in Florida by Pamela Edel.

She is the 7-2 third choice on the morning line and will be ridden from post three by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Win N Your In tries for her second victory of the year from eight starts in 2025.

Trained by Carlos David and owner Troy Johnson, Wendell Yates and Maritza Weston, the 3-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud’s Win Win Win took the $110,000 Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies against Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs in March. She also has two thirds this year, both in stakes. She started the year in January at Tampa Bay Downs with a third in the $82,000 Gasparilla won by Dancing Magic and was third to Luvumorgan in the $75,000 Game Face at Gulfstream in May.

As a 2-year-old, she won two stakes at Gulfstream including the $95,000 Sharp Susan and the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl, defeating R Morning Brew.

Win N Your In is out of Hello Rosie, by Yes It’s True and was bred in Florida by Marion G. Montanari. She has four wins and four thirds in 13 career starts with earnings of $324,680. 

Miguel Vasquez takes the call from post seven and they are listed at 10-1 on the morning line.

Rounding out the field are Secret Revenge and jockey Jonathan Ocasio and Rajiv Maragh will guide Kiss Me Slow.

Return to the December 19 issue of Wire to Wire