Filly Earns $25,000 FSRI Bonus
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
R Island Jewel ran off to an easy victory in the $146,955 Three Ring at Gulfstream Park Saturday, completing an exacta with stablemate R One Way in the seven-furlong test for four 2-year-old fillies bred in Florida. Both R Island Jewel and R One Way are trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for owner Richard Averill’s Averill Racing of Bradenton, Florida. Averill partners with Joseph and Anthony Mattera of Palm City, Florida, who races at ATM Racing, on R One Way.
R Island Jewel also earned a $25,000 Florida Sire Racing Incentive bonus, split $20,000 between Averill as owner and $5,000 to breeder Midge Koontz of Citra, Florida.
Capped at $1 million in 2026 and administered by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, the FSRI program pays a $25,000 bonus to each eligible 2-year-old Florida-sired, Florida-bred winner of a maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stakes race run at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs.
R Island Jewel and jockey Rasheed Hughes broke best from post two with Boots also starting well from the outside and Mon Coquette just a half-length back on the rail. That trio were three across the track through a quarter mile in :22.74 as R One Way tracked from a length-and-a-quarter back in fourth. R Island Jewel got clear from Boots midway on the turn as Mon Coquette backed out and R One Way challenged for second three wide. With a half-mile going by in :46.04, R Island Jewel was two lengths in front of R One Way at the top of the lane as Mon Coquette came back on the rail. R Island Jewel drew off in the run for home to win by six-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:26 flat with R One Way 11 lengths clear of Mon Coquette in third and Boots fourth. Blinkster and Liberty Rings were scratched.
R Island Jewel paid $2.80 to win.
It was the first win in two starts for R Island Jewel, who was second, a neck behind Rosie’s Roadster in a five-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-bred fillies on August 16 at Gulfstream.
R Island Jewel has now earned $105,200 from two starts after being purchased for $90,000 by bloodstock agent Stephen Skaggs for Averill Racing out of the Ocala Stud consignment at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale.
By Ocala Stud resident Awesome Slew, R Island Jewel is out of winning Adios Charlie mare Hello Juliet, an earner of $194,830, a full sister to stakes-placed, stakes-producer Eva London and a half-sister to stakes-winning, graded stakes-producer Lisa’s Booby Trap, stakes-winner Carilimpo, stakes-placed Nerve and stakes-producer Stepperupper.
Hello Juliet has two starters, both winners, from four foals with R Island Jewel her only stakes-winner. Hello Juliet has a yearling colt, Third Act, and an unnamed weanling colt, both bred in Florida by Koontz and both by Ocala Stud resident Win Win Win. Hello Juliet was bred to Roadster this year.
Return to the September 5 issue of Wire to Wire
