BY BROCK SHERIDAN

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Mythical ran to her 1-9 odds at Gulfstream Park Saturday with a dominating two-and-a-half-length victory in the $300,000 My Dear Girl, the final leg in the filly division of the lucrative $1.2 million Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes. Run at a mile-and-sixteenth, the My Dear Girl featured six 2-year-old fillies by registered Florida stallions. 

Mythical and regular rider Emisael Jaramillo broke promptly from post three and went right to the front with 4-1 second choice Love Like Lucy to her outside as they headed into the clubhouse turn. Mythical wasted little time in asserting herself as she tugged Jaramillo to a length advantage ahead of Love Like Lucy around the turn while finishing the first quarter mile in :22.81 with Dare Greatly three-and-a-half lengths back in third. Mythical relaxed some for Jaramillo down the backstretch but still rattled off a half mile in :46.58 while keeping a safe lead on Love Like Lucy in second and Dare Greatly four lengths back and alone third. Mythical stretched her lead to four lengths around the turn as Dare Greatly took second from Love Like Lucy but Mythical was well clear in the stretch, galloping home to win in 1:45.39 on the fast track. Dare Greatly was second, 15 ¼ lengths ahead of Win Bet Only in third. Love Like Lucy, Bayou Brigid and Lady Chance completed the order of finish.

“We had two plans,” Jaramillo said. “The first was if another filly took the lead, we would run from behind her. But she had a very good jump, so I went with Plan B which was to take the lead from the beginning. It was a bit difficult because she was going so fast into the first turn. I was trying to slow her down a bit, but she has such speed. That was a tough part of the race.” 

Mythical paid $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favorite. She was the shortest price winner of the My Dear Girl. Outfoxed won at 1-5 in 2021.

 

Trainer Jorge Delgado said he was a little anxious when Mythical produced the fast fractions but knew he had the best filly.

“I didn’t want to be in front. I think her best race was the previous race when she was relaxed and closed. That’s kind of what I wanted to see today,” Delgado said. “She had too much pressure from the beginning and she was getting a little tired, but she was the best horse.

“I think if she got through a little bit easier in the first quarter, she would have closed a little stronger. But that’s part of racing,” he added. “I knew she was the class of the race and I knew she was the best filly in the race. Something would have to happen really bad for her to lose.”

Arindel’s Brian Cohen also admitted the early speed had him on edge.

“Yes, I’d say so,” Cohen said about being nervous. “I just hoped that she would settle down a little bit and she did.”

Mythical provided the eighth victory in the Florida Sire Stakes for Arindel, placing them in a tie for third with Ione and H. J. Elkins on the all-time list of leading owners in the series.

Delgado has now won five Florida Sire Stakes races. In addition to two wins with Mythical, he saddled Awesome Strong, who swept Dr. Fager, Affirmed and In Reality in 2022.

Degaldo said no decision had been discussed as to her next start but hinted at the seven-furlong, $150,000 Forward Gal (Grade 3) at Gulfstream on Jan. 31, a race that would put her on the road to the mile-and-one-sixteenth, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on March 28.

“When they have pressure from the beginning, not too many horses can run 22 and 46 and finish,” he added. “Two years ago Bentornato, who was a special horse, he ran two turns here and he got beat. These things can happen when you have 2-year-olds going for the first time two turns. I’m just grateful that she passed the wire first and came back healthy.”

It was the second victory in the series for the Arindel homebred filly, who won the seven-furlong, $200,000 Susan’s Girl by nearly 13 lengths at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 18 while setting a stakes record in 1:22.95.

Mythical now has five wins to her credit from six starts, including a three-and-a-quarter-length score in the six-and-a-half-furlong Adirondack (Grade 3) at Saratoga Race Course in her third start on Aug. 3. She was also the first filly since Florida-bred Rosie O’Greta in 1995 to win the Tremont (Listed) when she defeated the boys by three-and-a-half lengths at Saratoga on June 5.

The bay daughter of St Patrick’s Day won on debut at Gulfstream Park in April, winning a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight for fillies by eight-and-a-half lengths.

Mythical is the only starter out of Lailoni, by Arindel’s stallion Brethren. Lailoni has produced three foals with Mythical her only starter. Lailoni has a weanling filly, Sonny’s Iris, by Colonelsdarktemper and was bred to Coal Front in 2025.

The My Dear Girl recognizes the Florida-bred mare that was named champion 2-year-old filly of 1959. Campaigned by future Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning owner Frances Genter, My Dear Girl became a successful broodmare whose best foal to race was In Reality.

–portions of this story were taken directly from the Gulfstream Park press release.

Return to the November 29 issue of Wire to Wire