BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. heads to Keeneland and the Grade 1 Resolute Racing Madison for fillies and mares with the accomplished Florida-bred duo of R Disaster and Mystic Lake, both multiple graded stakes winners. A field of eight are set for the $650,000 tilt run at seven furlongs and last won by a Florida-bred in 2016 by Harold L. Queen’s homebred Sheer Drama took jockey Joe Bravo to victory.
A Grade 1 victory outside Florida by R Disaster or Mystic Lake would earn their respective Florida breeder a $7,500 Export Incentive from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
R Disaster, last year’s Florida-bred Champion Older Female and Champion Female Sprinter, has never finished worse than second in 14 career starts. She most recently took the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie at Gulfstream Park on March 7 in her first race of the year.
The 5-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud stallion Awesome Slew won half of her eight starts last year including a three-and-a-half-length victory in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct in September and the $96,000 Rehoboth at Delaware Park in May.
With eight wins in 14 career starts, R Disaster has earned $720,890 for Richard Averill’s Averill Racing and Jayson Werth’s Two Eight Racing, both of Bradenton, Florida; and Anthony Mattera’s ATM Racing based in Palm City, Florida.
She is out of Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr.
She is the 3-1 second choice and has post six. Tyler Gaffalione, who is two-for-two on R Disaster, has the assignment. Gaffalione first won a conditioned, $80,000 claiming on her at Churchill in September of 2024 in her third career start. Three months and three races later, together they took a first tier, $25,000 optional claiming at Gulfstream Park.
Millionaire Mystic Lake, the 2024 Florida-bred Horse of the Year, has won six of her last seven starts, all in stakes, including a four-and-a-quarter-length gallop in the $70,000 Manatee overnight handicap at Tampa Bay Downs on March 7. Owned by Miller Racing, BAG Racing Stables and Stefania Farms, Mystic Lake was fourth in last year’s Madison after winning the Grade 2 Inside Information at Gulfstream Park.
After the Madison, she was ninth in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill on May 3 then won four straight stakes starting with the $100,000 Memorial Day Distaff at Lone Star Park on May 26. Next came a five-and-three-quarter-lengths victory in the $113,000 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park in July, a three-length score in the $250,000 Pink Ribbon at Charles Town in August and the $150,000 Liberty Bell by nearly two lengths at Parx Racing on September 20.
She lost to Florida-bred Ms. Bucchero when third in the $125,000 Sugar Swirl (Listed) at Gulfstream on December 20 but is undefeated in two starts at Tampa Bay Downs this year. She won the $120,000 Minaret on February 7 and the aforementioned Manatee, giving away between six and eight pounds to her six rivals.
A winner of 13 of 23 career starts with earnings of $1,582,017, Mystic Lake is by Mo Town out of Salty Soul, by Itsmayluckyday and was bred in Florida by Peggy Costanzo.
She has drawn the outside post eight and Luis Saez will have the reins. Mystic Lake is 20-1 in the program.
Also among the Madison entries are Eclantant and jockey Irad Oritz Jr., Jose Ortiz rides Sterling Silver, Clicquot will have Flavien Prat up, Ragtime has John Velazquez taking the assignment, Junior Alvarado will guide 2-1 morning line favorite Grand Job while Praying has Joel Rosario named as the pilot.
Return to the April 2 issue of Wire to Wire
