Colt earns third $25,000 FSRI Bonus
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Sum of Success added to his young legacy Saturday with an easy victory in the $150,000 Express Tour at Gulfstream Park, winning by five-and-a-quarter lengths against four other 2-year-old Florida-breds going seven furlongs. Trained by Robert Dibona for K. Johnston Racing, Michael and Jules Ivarone and Hopeless Stables, Sum of Success remained unbeaten in three starts while earning his third $25,000 Florida Sire Racing Incentive bonus.
“This one might be the best I ever trained,” Dibona said. “Picture perfect. What can I say? He’s run three races and he’s won by [open lengths] and never been asked to do anything yet.”
Split $20,000 to the owners and $5,000 to the breeder, FSRI bonuses are paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association on eligible 2-year-old Florida-sired, Florida-breds winners of maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stakes run at Gulfstream Park at Tampa Bay Downs in 2026. The program is capped at $1 million for the year.
With his regular rider Jonathan Ocasio aboard for the Express Tour, Sum of Success was quickest off the mark and promptly put a length on Holy Warrior in second with Stick Talk two lengths farther back in third. Ocasio kept Sum of Success under wraps while he cruised along a length-and-a-half faster than Holy Warrior through quarter-mile splits of :22.32 and :44.82 then kicked clear to lead by eight lengths after six furlongs in 1:09.87. Sum of Success was geared down by Ocasio in the final furlong, crossing under the wire in 1:24.61 on the fast track. Godfidence was second, three-and-a-half lengths in front of Holy Warrior in third. They were followed by Stick Talk in fifth and American Roadster. Mister Morgs was scratched.
“[I haven’t asked] for everything, just 75-80 percent. I think he can do more than what he’s doing right now. He still has a lot to learn. He can go mile, go seven, six, five, five-and-a-half [furlongs]. He can do everything good,” Ocasio said. “It feels great. I know I have a good horse with me and I just have to ride him straight and he’ll do everything else.”
Dibona said his pre-race instructions to Ocasio are simple.
“You know what I tell him? ‘Good luck,’” Dibona said. “He knows the horse. He rode him like a gem.”
Sent to the post as the 1-5 favorite, Sum of Success paid $2.40 to win.
Sum of Success won his first two starts, both at Gulfstream, by a combined 19 lengths. He won a five-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-breds by seven-and-a-half lengths on July 20 then took the six-furlong, $100,000 In Summation versus Florida-breds by 11 ½ lengths on August 10. In winning the In Summation in 1:10.14, Sum of Success produced an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, which is tied with six others as the eighth best Beyer number for a 2-year-old in North America this year as Saturday morning.
Dibona said he passed an invitation from Saratoga Race Course officials to run Sum of Success in Sunday’s Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful.
“He’s doing everything I’m asking. I’m happy the route that I chose. We’re just going to stay a little patient and take everything as it comes along,” he said. “He’s a good boy. If you’re a horse person and you’re out looking for horses and scouting, you know how hard it is to come up with a horse. We’ve been at this a long time and come a long way. We’re very excited.”
Sum of Success has now earned $188,400 in three starts. Dibona purchased him for $165,000 out of Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables consignment at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training in April.
By Ocala Stud stallion Win Win Win, Sum of Success is out of All Summed Up, by In Summation and was bred in Florida by Liz and Norman Wilson of Ocala, Florida in the name of their Oakleaf Farm.
Liz Wilson said she sold Sum of Success privately as a short yearling but always believed he might be special.
“We’ve been striving to breed a really nice colt and now we’ve done it,” she said. “We’ve always believed in him. It’s exciting—being small breeders that we are—to see him do so well.
“He was always playing with the other horses. He would always start the little fights. He would pick on the other colts, then run away and nobody could ever catch him. He always played hard but was always special—easy to be around. He was very smart, never got himself into trouble.”
All Summed Up has three starters, all winners, from six foals. She has a yearling colt, All Khozy, by Ocala Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan, also bred in Florida by Oakleaf Farm. Wilson said All Khozy is currently in training with Tim Hamm in Morriston, Florida.
All Summed Up is a full-sister to graded stakes-placed runners Summation Time and St. Joe and stakes-producer Sainted Dancer.
Return to the September 5 issue of Wire to Wire
