Saturday & Sunday • July 31 & August 1, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION www.wiretowire.net FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Florida Sire Stakes Has Proven To Be Gateway to Breeders’ Cup Whitmore Faces Firenze Fire in Alfred G. Vanderbilt Florida-breds C Z Rocket, Collusion Illusion Head Fast Field in Bing Crosby Harpers First Ride Targets Repeat in Deputed Testamony Channel Cat Primed to Pounce in Bowling Green Gulfstream Park Charts Track Results & Entries Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida-bred Hope In Him/RYAN THOMPSON PHOTO Florida Breeders’ List Connections Have Faith in Wire to Wire Business Place Hope in Him in Dr. Fager Featured Advertisers BY GULFSTREAM PARK Hope in Him rewarded their confidence PRESS OFFICE____________________ in his stakes potential with a sensational debut victory that instantly established him Big Lick LLC HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Breeze Easy as a leading prospect for the 2021 Florida Florida Department of Agriculture LLC’s Mike Hall and Sam Ross made a Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ As- considerable leap of faith when they bought sociation Florida Sire Stakes. The annual FTBOA the son of Bridlewood Farm stallion Chitu series for juveniles sired by accredited stal- out of Satan’s Mistress, by Songandaprayer lions standing in Florida gets underway Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply for $190,000 at this year’s Ocala Breeders’ Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where a Sales March Sale for 2-year-olds in training. See HOPE IN HIM on page 3 Seminole Feed Wire to Wire July 31 & August 1, 2021 Back to Top Page 3 Hope In Him Continued from COVER mandatory payout of the Rain- bow 6 carryover pool will also be held. The Joe Orseno-trained Hope in Him, the 8-5 favorite, is scheduled to meet eight other juveniles in the $100,000 Dr. Fager, a six-furlong sprint that will co-headline Saturday’s pro- gram with the $100,000 Desert Vixen, a six-furlong dash for 2- year-old fillies. “The owner, Mike Hall, and the fellow who picks out our horses, Tom McGreevy, did all the work [in Ocala]. When I got there, they said, ‘Meet us at the Joe Orseno/BILL DENVER EQUIPHOTO barn. We want you to take a look at this colt. We like him and want to know what you think,’” Orseno said. “I went over there, and I just fell in love with him.” Bred in Florida by Michael Frank, Hope in Him made an aus- picious debut in a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream June 4, breaking sharply from the gate to set the pace before drawing away to a five-length triumph. “He lived up to our expectations. He really did. I thought he was a nice horse when we bought him,” Orseno said. “We took him down here and he trained forwardly with everything he did. He’s a natural out of the gate.” Samy Camacho has been named to ride Hope in Him from post seven, replacing the recuperating Edwin Gonzalez. Hope in Him’s victory became even more impressive when run- ner-up Lightening Larry came back to score a solid maiden special weight win June 18. Lea Farms LLC’s Lightening Larry is also slated to take on Hope in Him again in the Dr. Fager. The son of Uncaptured chased Hope in Him in his debut, fin- ishing two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of the third-place finisher. Two weeks later, the Jeff Engler-trained Florida-bred graduated by two lengths, drawing clear after pressing the early pace in the five-furlong sprint. “We knew we had a nice horse. I was pleased with his first start. Obviously, the other first-time starter left there running and never stopped,” Engler said. “I thought Larry ran on well and got a lot of education from that race. It showed in his second race, because he ran much better and finished better.” Engler said he expects Lightening Larry, 6-1, to appreciate the six furlongs of the Dr. Fager. “I think the added-distance in the stake will help us against Hope in Him. We’ll just have to see, but I know he’s doing really well,” Engler said. Lightening Larry is out of Moon and Sun, by Malibu Moon and was bred by Michelle Redding. Romero Maragh has the return mount aboard Lightening Larry, who will break from post six. Stonehedge LLC’s Gil and Marilyn Campbell, who have won 15 Florida Sire Stakes races, will be represented by homebreds Dean Delivers and Cajun’s Magic Saturday. Dean Delivers won his debut by seven-and-a-half-lengths June 26, kicking away to an impressive score after pressing the early pace in a five-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream. See HOPE IN HIM on page 5 Wire to Wire July 31 & August 1, 2021 Back to Top Wire to Wire July 31 & August 1, 2021 Back to Top Page 5 Hope In Him Continued from page 3 “I expected if he ran back to his breezes, he’d run well,” Yates said. “He kind of showed himself, with a couple others, early on in their training. We were prob- ably pretty conservative bringing them up to their races. They didn’t have a lot of fast works.” Cajun’s Magic, who finished a close second in his May 29 debut, graduated by four-and-three-quarters lengths July 3 at Gulfstream. Dean Delivers and Cajun Magic are both by Cajun Breeze, who stands at Stonehenge Farm South. Dean Delivers is out of Slick and True, by Yes It’s True, while Cajun Magic is out of Mollie’s Magic, by Factum. Both were bred in Florida by Yates. Miguel Vasquez has the call on Dean Delivers, who is 4-1 in the morning line; while Jesus Rios has the return mount on 5-1 program choice Cajun’s Magic. Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Big and Classy is also coming off a dominating victory, breaking his maiden in his second career start by nearly six length at the seven-furlong distance June 18. The David Fawkes- trained son of Ocala Stud stallion The Big Beast out of I’mclassyandsassy, by Master Command had finished Florida-bred Laki Lio/LAUREN KING PHOTO an even fourth in his five-furlong debut a month earlier. claimer in his second start; and Joseph Imbesi’s Palimonium (15-1), Emisael Jaramillo has the return mount on the 4-1 choice and who finished fourth in his recent debut; round out the field. they will depart from post eight. The Florida Sire Stakes series will continue Aug. 28 with the Bella Inizio Farm’s Laki Lio (10-1), a debut winner at Gulfstream $200,000 Affirmed and the $200,000 Susan’s Girl for fillies, both April 16 by three-and-a-half lengths; Arindel’s Merlin (15-1), who slated for seven furlongs, and Sept. 25 with the $400,000 In Reality has finished second in all three career starts; Amalio Ruiz-Lozano’s and the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies, both to be run around Gold Special (20-1), a six-length winner in a maiden $35,000 two turns at a mile-and-one-sixteenth. Wire to Wire July 31 & August 1, 2021 Back to Top Wire to Wire July 31 & August 1, 2021 Back to Top Page 7 Florida Sire Stakes Has Proven To Be Gateway to Breeders’ Cup BY BROCK SHERIDAN ________________________________ Juvenile but stumbled badly leaving the chute and was eased. He would, however, go on to a successful career that including winning the 1988 Jaipur (G3) at Belmont Park while trained by Flint “Scotty” Schulhofer. A year later, owner Dolly Green and trainer Melvin Stute won the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 18 and the Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity on Aug. 31, both at Del Mar, with Florida-bred Brave Raj. In search of more riches, they shipped the son of Rajab east to Calder for the $75,000 FSS Susan’s Girl on Sept. 21 which she won by four-and-a-half lengths with jockey Patrick Valenzuela aboard. The same team won $400,000 FSS My Dear Girl Stakes on Oct. 12 before returning to Southern California to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 and be honored with an Eclipse Award as the 1985 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly that year. A race earlier, Florida-bred Smile, who swept the FSS Dr. Fager, FSS Affirmed and FSS In Reality in 1984 for owner-breeder Frances A. Genter, became the third Florida-bred to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) following Eillo in 1984 and Precisionist in 1985. In 1987, FSS My Dear Girl-winner Balquiria would be unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as were FSS grads Into Bucks and Seaquay in the 1988 Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies respectively. Four FSS contenders took a home field advantage across town from Florida-bred Brave Raj/FOUR FOOTED FOTOS Calder to Gulfstream for the 1989 Breeders’ with Shot Gun Scott The Florida Sire Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup are nearly the finishing fourth in the Juvenile and Voodoo Lily also finishing same age with the first running of the former coming in 1982 at fourth in the Juvenile Fillies. Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Fla. That same year, a Three years would go by before more FSS grads ventured to the group of prominent thoroughbred breeders’ in Kentucky led by Breeders’ Cup but both Boots ‘n Jackie and Supah Gem had good John Gaines, announced a plan to create the Breeders’ Cup and in showings in the 1992 Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park, finishing November of 1984, thoroughbred racing had a year-end champi- third and fourth respectively behind winner Eliza.