BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Tessellate shot to the front coming out of the far turn then left her competition far behind to win the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint by 13 lengths at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Florida-bred was far superior among the seven 2-year-old fillies who went six-and-a-half furlongs on the main track.
Unsuccessful in two previous starts against stakes fillies at Gulfstream, Tessellate and jockey Edgard Zayas were away a step slow from post two as Epigram went straight to front from the outside post seven. La Dolce Vida was quick to join Epigram after starting from post one as Tessellate recovered quickly to find a spot between those two in third. La Dolce Vida put a head in front of Epigram to her outside through a quick :22.13 quarter mile with Tessallate stalking the two leaders from two lengths back and alone in third. Tessellate began closing in around the turn, circled the Epigram and La Dolce Vida with ease and was a length-and-a-half clear past the quarter pole with little encouragement. Zayas tapped Tessellate on the right shoulder turning for home and she was quickly in front by five lengths at the top of the stretch with Epigram second, two lengths faster than the rest. Tessellate cruised home to win in 1:18.60 on the fast track. Second went to Florida-bred Lady Chance, who was three lengths clear of Florida-bred Dakota’s Lil Auror in third. Epigram was another length-and-a-half back in fourth followed by Nour, Make Your Wish and La Dolce Vida. Mystical Belle was scratched.
“She came into the racing looking good. Saffie did a great job with her. The race set up for her. She had a beautiful trip,” Zayas said. “I looked at the [infield] screen and she looked like she was running by herself. She had a lot left in the tank. We’re looking forward to the winter with her.”
Tessellate paid $5.40 to win.
“She did it well,” Joseph said. “We thought there was a lot of speed and we left it up to Edgard. The filly has tactical speed and he rode a smart race. He broke sharp but he let them clear away, made sure they stayed honest and then he took back. That was the winning move.”
Tessellate broke her maiden by two lengths against special weight Florida-bred fillies going five furlongs in July at then graduated straight into stakes company. She was next second, three-and-three-quarter lengths behind Florida-bred Willow Case in the $75,000 Sharp Susan going six furlongs on a sloppy track on Aug. 9 then third, again behind winner Willow Case, in the $75,000 Hallandale Beach at a mile on Sept. 26. All three races were at Gulfstream.
“We thought she’d break through the first time [in a stakes] but then we tried the mile. We knew she didn’t want to go the mile but it was hard to resist. We had to try it,” Joseph said. “I’m glad she’s got a stakes win on her resume now.”
Tessellate has now earned $93,510 for owners by Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm LLC, Kuehne Racing and John Reinhardt. She was a $170,000 purchase by Joseph at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where she was consigned by Paramount Sales.
Bred in Florida by Castle Gate Farm LLC, Tessellate is by McKinzie out of the Trappe Shot mare Shotdowninflames. Shotdowninflames has two winners from three starters with Tessellate her only stakes winner.
Shotdowninflames, a half-sister to Grade 3 Obeah Stakes-winner Luna Time, has a yearling filly, Whole Lotta Rosie, from the first crop by Ocala Stud stallion Roadster, that sold for $80,000 to Champion Equine LLC at this Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale where she was consigned by Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm as agent.
Tessellate is the 79th Florida-bred winner of an black-type open stakes race in 2025. She is the second Florida-bred winner of the Juvenile Fillies Sprint, joining 2023 winner Chi Chi.
Return to the November 15 issue of Wire to Wire
