BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Second in two tries against graded stakes company in her last two races, Florida-bred R Disaster was a convincing winner of the $96,000 Rehoboth at Delaware Park Saturday, winning by eighth-and-a-half lengths with jockey Jorge Ruiz. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for Rich Averill’s Averill Racing LLC, Jayson Werth’s Two Eight Racing and Anthony Mattera, R Disaster was the best of six fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older who went six furlongs.
R Disaster started promptly from post four and raced just off Miss Harriett through a quick quarter mile in :21.92 as fellow Florida-bred Pleasant Embrace chased them from third while racing four-wide.
R Disaster went by Miss Harriet heading into the turn then slipped away from her rivals approaching the quarter pole to take a three-length advantage into the run for home. R Disaster widened her margin down the stretch to finish in 1:09.83 while Miss Harriett held second. Drifaros was two lengths back third followed by Alani, Pleasant Embrace and Reagan’s Flame.
R Disaster paid $3 to win as the odd-on favorite.
A three-length winner of a first level, $25,000 optional claiming going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Jan.18, R Disaster was then just a neck shy of Florida-bred winner Nic’s Style in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie going six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream on March 8. She then traveled to New York when she was again a neck behind in second, this time to Haulin Ice in the Grade 3 Vagrancy at the same distance during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 4.
Never worse than second in nine starts, R Disaster has now won five with the $60,000 Rehoboth check increasing her career earnings to $320,180.
R Disaster is by Ocala Stud stallion Awesome Slew out of Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr. Making Havoc has two starters, both winners, from five foals. She has an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Ocala Stud’s Adios Charlie and an unnamed yearling filly by Ocala Stud’s Colonel Liam. She was bred back to Colonel Liam in 2024.
Making Havoc, an earner of $335,425, is a half-sister to multiple Grade 3-placed, stakes-winning Florida-bred R Adios Jersey, by Adios Charlie, who was bred by Ocala Stud and Michael O’Farrell Jr. and raced for Averill and Werth in partnership with ATM Racing. Making Havoc is at least a fifth generation Ocala Stud broodmare going back to Royal Ties, a 1973 daughter of Distinctive bred by Ocala Stud. That family also has Florida-bred stakes-winners Royal Lad and R Girls a Charmer and stakes-winner Mecke’s Madalyn.
Return to the May 31 issue of Wire to Wire
