BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – John Oxley homebred Strategic Risk, a smashing debut winner over his home track before spending an unsuccessful summer at Saratoga Race Course, returns to South Florida looking to regain his winning form in Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed at Gulfstream Park.

The Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl for fillies, each sprinting seven furlongs, co-headline a 12-race program that resumes the 44th edition of the $1.2 million Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds by accredited Florida stallions.

Named for the Florida-bred 1978 Triple Crown winner that was a five-time champion, back-to-back Horse of the Year and 1980 Hall of Fame inductee, the Affirmed is the middle leg in the FSS series, which began with the $100,000 Dr. Fager Sept. 6 and concludes with the $300,000 In Reality Nov. 29.

Strategic Risk is one of five new faces in the Affirmed, which is missing Dr. Fager upset-winner Fourth and Central but includes the second through sixth-place finishers among the field of 11. It marks a return to one turn on the dirt for Strategic Risk, who weakened to be last of six after a wide trip in the mile-and-a-sixteenth With Anticipation (Grade 3) on Aug. 28 over the Saratoga turf. The winner that day, Final Score, went on to win the Oct. 5 Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland Race Course.

By Grade 1-winning millionaire Noble Bird, who Hall of Famer Mark Casse also trained for Oxley, Strategic Risk was a popular front-running, eight-and-a-quarter-length maiden special weight winner against Florida-breds sprinting five furlongs June 7 at Gulfstream. That effort earned him a spot with Casse’s string in upstate New York, where he ran an even seventh in the six-furlong Sanford (G3) July 5.

 

“We tried him at Saratoga and it wasn’t very successful, so we brought him home and gave him just a little downtime. He’s been training really good, so we sent him on down,” Casse said. “He worked really good the other day here in Ocala. I wish we hadn’t drawn the one-hole, but it is what it is.”

Rajiv Maragh will become the fourth jockey in as many starts to get a leg up on Strategic Risk, who was installed as the lukewarm 3-1 program favorite.

“We’ll just see how the break goes. If he breaks good, he’s going to be very close,” Casse said. “The one-hole is just always so tricky, but we’ll leave that to the rider.”

Out of the Afleet Alex mare Strategize, Strategic Risk is a half-brother to Strategic Bird, a multiple-stakes winner that also graduated impressively first time out at Gulfstream in the fall of 2021; and Just Relax, who ran third behind undefeated Rated by Merit in the 2024 In Reality.

Casse owns two career FSS series wins, with Capture Your Dream in the 2018 Desert Vixen and Two Sixty in the 2019 My Dear Girl.

“I think it’s a good spot,” he said of the Affirmed. “It’s a lot of money and I’ve always kind of felt that he was a little better horse than what we’ve seen so far. Maybe he’ll get back to his winning ways.”

Among the series newcomers is a pair of Jose D’Angelo trainees, Micanopy and Khozalite, each of whom broke their maiden second time out. Brent Fernung’s Micanopy beat fellow state-breds by three-quarters of a length on Sept. 13 and is the only horse in the field with a victory at the course and distance.

 

In his six-and-half-furlong debut Aug. 30, Micanopy again came from off the pace and wound up a distant but decisive second behind Wayne’s Law, subsequent winner of Gulfstream’s Sept. 20 Aventura against open company.

Edgard Zayas has the mount and they will break from post nine. Micanopy is 9-2 in the program.

“We were very happy with his last race. He is a horse that we have always liked. He doesn’t have to be on the lead. He can sit back and make his move later,” D’Angelo said. “He came out pretty good after the race. Since he arrived to the barn we were looking to the stallion series. I feel he’s a two-turn horse, so the seven furlongs is going to help him. He’s been working very good, too.”

Half Hollow Stables and ProRacing Stable’s Khozalite dead-heated for second in a six-furlong maiden special weight on dirt against Florida-breds on Aug. 2 then came back on the turf in an open maiden event going one mile Aug. 30. After stalking for a half mile under Leonel Reyes, who returns to ride, he took over the top spot and went on to win by two lengths.

 

“He’s a nice horse. I feel he’s better on the grass, but definitely we have to try for this race. He’s doing good,” D’Angelo said. “We gave him some time off. He was training but we were waiting for this race because he wants to run long, so now is the time. We are very happy with both horses.”

Khozalite has post 11 and is 10-1 on the morning line.

D’Angelo won the Dr. Fager and Affirmed in 2023 with Bentornato, who ran third in the In Reality and last year won the Gallant Bob (G2), was second in the Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and third in the Saudi Derby (G3). Bentornato is being pointed for a return to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

“We go to the sales and try to find horses for the stallion series and now we have two, so that’s great,” he said. “We are super excited.”

Tonch’s Horses Camigol was beaten less than two lengths in the six-furlong Dr. Fager, which marked his return to Gulfstream after finishing third in the Saratoga Special (G2) Aug. 2 at Saratoga, contested at six-and-a-half furlongs. Trainer Antonio Sano is hoping for a cleaner trip after the Neolithic colt got bumped early out of his rail post and chafed against his inside position.

“He ran well last time but he didn’t like being inside. If you see the race, he was turning his head away from the rail,” Sano said. “The horse is doing well. The last race he had some trouble. This time the race is one furlong longer, the [post] position is better and that should help him. More distance is better for him.”

Camigol will be ridden from post seven and Edwin Gonzalez and is 8-1 on the morning line.

Completing the field are Trelawny, All to Win, May 10 Royal Palm Juvenile runner-up Squire and I’m Tuff Enough, respectively third through sixth in the Dr. Fager; and series newcomers Wootun, a front-running maiden winner Sept. 27, and maidens He’s My Uncle and Hawk.

Return to the October 17 issue of Wire to Wire