BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Multiple stakes-winning Florida-bred R Disaster makes her first start of the year as the 9-5 morning line favorite for Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream Park. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained daughter of Awesome Slew, who stands in Florida at Ocala Stud, is one of nine fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older, who will go six-and-a-half furlongs on the main track. In trying for her third win in her last four starts, R Disaster will be running for a share of $25,000 from the Florida-bred Incentive Fund included in the purse.
A three-and-a-half-length winner of the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct on September 27, R Disaster finished her 2025 campaign with a second, just a head shy of winner Hillerito in the $287,000 Dream Surpreme (Listed) going six furlongs at Churchill Downs on November 8.
Never worse than second in 13 career starts, last year R Disaster also won the $96,000 Rehoboth at Delaware Park in July, an upper level, $100,000 optional claiming in the slop at Saratoga in August and a first condition, $25,000 optional claiming at Gulfstream to start the year on January 18.
This will be her second straight appearance in the Hurricane Bertie having finished second to fellow Florida-bred Nic’s Style in the 2025 edition. Her only defeats in 2025 came in graded stakes including runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Vagrancy won by Haulin Ice during the Belmont at Big A meet in May and in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss, a neck behind Florida-bred Halina’s Forte at Saratoga Race Course in July.
R Disaster has won seven with six seconds in her career with earnings of $613,180. She is out of Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr.
Michah Husbands will ride R Disaster for the first time Saturday and they will break from post five.
Sterling Silver presents a threat as she too has won two of her last three with a second in a graded stakes last out.
Trained by Anthony Margotta Jr. for Mark T. Anderson, Sterling Silver won the $200,000 Iroquois going six-and-a-half furlongs at Churchill Downs on October 25 and the $125,000 Rampart (Listed) racing a mile at Gulfstream Park on December 26. Most recently she was second to Grand Job in the seven-furlong Inside Information (G2) Inside Information at Gulfstream on January 24.
A 7-year-old mare by Cupid out of Sheet Humor, by Distorted Humor, Sterling Silver has won 11 with eight second and seven thirds in 37 starts with a bankroll of $1,365,826.
Ragiv Maragh has the first-time mount on Sterling Silver from post four and they are 2-1 in the program.
Rounding out the field are Lynn’s Milky Way with Mario Gutierrez up, Edwin Gonzalez rides Taliesin, Beyon Belief has jockey Joe Bravo, Luvumorgan will be ridden by Jorge Ruiz, Indy Bay with Dylan Davis up, Miguel Vasquez takes the call on Andrea and Edgard Zayas will guide Roswell.
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