BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, Kuehne Racing and John Reinhardt’s Tessellate, stakes-placed in each of her last two starts, will get another chance to break through when the Florida-bred filly returns as a leading contender in Saturday’s $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream Park.
The Juvenile Fillies Sprint going six-and-a-half furlongs on the main track is the headliner on an 11-race program that begins at 12:20 p.m.
Bred by Castle Gate Farm and trained by Sunshine Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., Tessellate shortens up in distance after running third behind Florida-bred Willow Case in the $75,000 Hallandale Beach going a mile Sept. 26, a race where she dueled for the lead nearing the stretch and wound up beaten six-and-a-quarter lengths.
In her prior start, the $170,000 Keeneland September yearling daughter of McKinzie came from off the pace to be second as the favorite in the $75,000 Sharp Susan at six furlongs in the slop on Aug. 9, three-and-a-quarter lengths behind Willow Case.
“Last time we stretched her out. We didn’t think she wanted to go that far, but we wanted to give it a try. The cutback should help her a lot,” Joseph said. “This is the logical spot. There wasn’t anything around, so we stretched her out going a mile last time just to see what happened, but she wants to be a sprinter.”
A front-running debut winner against state-breds going five furlongs July 19, Tessellate drew post two of eight and will be ridden by Edgard Zayas. They are rated as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.
“She’s fast, but she doesn’t need the lead. She can sit and make a run,” Joseph said. “I think she goes in there with a very good chance.”
Joseph also entered La Dolce Vita and Mystical Belle. After two unsuccessful tries on the turf, Peachtree Stable homebred La Dolce Vita graduated with a popular length-and-three-quarters maiden special weight triumph on Oct. 24 sprinting six furlongs on the main track.
“She won well last time,” Joseph said. “She’s coming back obviously a little quick, but I think if she runs her race she should be a big factor.”
La Dolce Vita has been favored in each of her three races, running second in debut going five furlongs Aug. 1 at Gulfstream, beaten four lengths by subsequent Hollywood Beach runner-up The Princess Bro. Fourth in a one-mile maiden spot Aug. 30 at Kentucky Downs, she is the Juvenile Fillies 2-1 program favorite from post one.
“She showed promise right away. When she got beat the first time we were a little surprised, but the horse that beat her turned out to be a nice horse,” Joseph said. “She ran big last time in her first time on the dirt. I’m still not convinced that she doesn’t want the grass, but for now we’ll stick to the dirt.”
Joseph indicated MyRacehorse, P T Racing, Clay Sides and John Reinhardt’s Mystical Belle, a good-looking maiden winner over the all-weather course on Sept. 12 at Gulfstream, would likely scratch in favor of an optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds on Sunday. In her two races, Mystical Belle was second behind her stablemate and subsequent Frizette (G1) runner-up Rileytole and then a length-and-a-quarter winner over next-out winner Flowko.
“She’s run well,” Joseph said. “She ran second first time out to a nice horse that ran second in a Grade 1, and then she won second time and beat a filly that came back to win, also.”
Mystical Belle has post five and should she start, will be ridden by Cipriano Gil. She is 3-1 in the program.
Oliver Gray’s Florida-bred Dakota’s Lil Auror is the other horse in the field with stakes experience, having run third in the Sharp Susan and fourth in the Hallandale Beach. She has lost three straight following a maiden triumph against Florida-breds sprinting four-and-a-half furlongs June 20.
Dakota’s Little Auror has post four and is 15-1 in the program. Edgar Perez has the riding assignment.
Make Your Wish, Lady Chance and Epigram all enter the Juvenile Fillies Sprint off victories. Amanda Hernandez Zorilla’s Make Your Wish, trained by Ramon Minguet, comes from the same connections that campaigned Willow Case before the filly was sold via digital auction for $340,000.
After placing in each of her first three races, including a back-to-back runner-up finishes, William Law Jr.’s Florida homebred Lady Chance graduated by two-and-a-half lengths against state-bred company Oct. 26.
Lady Chance is by Chance It out of Flay Mignon, by Yesbyjimminy and has post seven and jockey Jose Leon.
Epigram, owned and trained by Jose Castro, will be making her stakes debut off one race, an eye-catching nine-and-three-quarters-length maiden special weight triumph on Aug. 15 sprinting five furlongs on Gulfstream’s main track.
“She’s doing good. She had a good race last time, exactly like we hoped. We hope that she can run the same race. She’s a good horse, very talented,” owner-trainer Jose Castro said. “We hope she can win again. She’s in good condition, she’s training good, she’s working good, she came out of the race good. She’s very, very happy.”
Castro, who purchased Epigram out of the Wildhearted Thoroughbreds consignment for $38,000 in April at Ocala Breeders’ Sales as a 2-year-old in training, said the gap between starts was by design.
“She is very fast. She has a nice pedigree. When we bought her at the auction, the first time we saw her at the barn we were looking for the good confirmation. That’s the reason we chose her,” Castro said. “She’s still a baby, so we have to try to just go little by little with her. We try to get her ready for this moment and right now she’s ready to run again.”
Completing the field is Sultan Racing’s Nour, who ran second in an Oct. 25 optional claimer at Gulfstream but finished ahead of both Willow Case (third) and Dakota’s Lil Auror (fifth).
Return to the November 13 issue of Wire to Wire
