BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – BC Racing LLC’s Prevent, a multiple stakes-placed son of Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Neolithic, will seek to finally become a stakes winner in Saturday’s $100,000 English Channel at Gulfstream Park.
The English Channel, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, co-headlines Saturday’s 11-race program with the $100,000 Honey Ryder, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Prevent enters the English Channel off a game front-running victory in a first condition, $75,000 open optional claiming at a mile on turf April 12. The Florida-bred colt ridden by Edgard Zayas held on to win by a nose. Zayas has the return mount Saturday. He was aboard Prevent for a second-place finish in the $100,000 Equistaff Sophomore Turf on March 24, Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs, where he opened up by four lengths before weakening to finish second in the mile-and-a-sixteenth test.
“Edgard really likes him. He thinks he should have won that race in Tampa. I think he knows him a little bit better now,” BC Racing LLC’s Brian Cohen said.
The Juan Alvarado-trained Prevent has run around two turns in five of his last six races. He has won two and finished second twice, including a runner-up finish in the mile-and-70-yard Armed Forces on Tapeta while going long for the first time Nov. 4.
“I don’t think he’s run a bad race since going long, other than the [$100,000 Pulpit on Dec. 9 when] he got pushed to a half in 45 [seconds],” Cohen said referring to the seven-and-a-half furlong race. “He has sprint speed, but he definitely wants to go further the way he trains. Honestly, I’d like to see him go even further.”
Prevent, rated 8-1 on the morning-line, will break from the rail post position while facing 10 rivals, including Zingales Racing Stable LLC and RM18 Stable LLC’s Salvattore Prince, the 3-1 morning-line favorite.
Salvattore Prince, who experienced troubled starts three races in a row, got away cleanly in his last start, finishing third in the $125,000 Cutler Bay going seven-and-a-half furlongs in his turf debut.
The Jose D’Angelo-trained son of Street Sense will be ridden by Edgar Perez for the first time Saturday. Salvattore Prince has post three.
Trainer George Weaver entered a pair of 3-year-olds in the English Channel including R.A. Hill Stable’s Please Advise, and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Time Song. Please Advise will make his 2024 debut after capturing the six-furlong Atlantic Beach Stakes on turf at Aqueduct Nov. 4. Time Song graduated in a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden race on turf in his 2024 debut at Gulfstream.
Joe Bravo has the call on Please Advise, a son of Palace Malice, while Edwin Gonzalez has the mount aboard Time Song, a son of Not This Time.
Gary Barber’s In a Jam, who won back-to-back starts at Gulfstream before finishing fourth in the Columbia at Tampa Bay last time out, is rated at 7-2. Trained by Mark Casse, the son of Preservationist will be ridden by Leonel Reyes.
Gandolfi Stables’ Sentenza, Echo Page Racing Corp.’s Freedom Principle, Ken Reimer’s Ehsaan, Alex Andres LLC’s Dancing Groom, Just for Fun Stable Inc.’s Florida-bred Brawn and Donald Ming’s Ninja Star round out the field.
