ftboa.com • Thursday • June 3, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Medina Spirit Split Sample Positive Spotlight On: Tom Cannell Happy Soul Headlines Astoria Stakes Brown’s Regal Glory, Publication Defend Home Turf in Intercontinental Jouster/COADY PHOTO Pletcher Holds Strong Strangles Found in Brevard County Track Results & Entries Hand with Jouster and Florida Stallion Progeny List Con Lima in Wonder Again Florida Breeders’ List BY NYRA PRESS OFFICE __________ and mares; and the $150,000 Astoria, a five-and-a-half-furlong sprint for juvenile Wire to Wire Business Place ELMONT, NY—Hall of Fame trainer fillies on Big Sandy. Todd Pletcher will saddle a formidable While both Pletcher-trained fillies are pair of contenders in Jouster and Con good from the gate, the veteran condition- Featured Advertisers Lima in Thursday’s $200,000 Wonder er said he expects Jouster to be more for- Again (Grade 3), a nine-furlong inner turf wardly placed. Berrettini Feed test for sophomore fillies on Opening Day “I think Jouster is naturally quicker Equus Inn Ocala of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. and Con Lima has shown that she can sit Florida Department of Agriculture The festival runs from Thursday just off the pace,” Pletcher said. FTBOA through Saturday culminating with the Starlight Racing’s Jouster, a Noble Journeyman Stud 153rd running of the $1.5 million Belmont Mission bay, will make her first appearance Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1). since a length-and-a-half, gate-to-wire Ocala Stud Thursday’s nine-race card, which score over Wonder Again-rivals Gift List RiceHorse Stable offers a 3:05 p.m. Eastern first post, fea- and Plum Ali in the one-mile Appalachian Seminole Feed tures a trio of stakes offerings, including (G2) on April 3 over a Keeneland turf the $200,000 Intercontinental (G3), a course rated good. Six K’s Training & Sales seven-furlong turf sprint for older fillies Woodford Thoroughbreds See WONDER AGAIN on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Wonder Again Continued from COVER Jouster is out of the Street Cry mare Playtime, who is a daughter of champion 2-year- old filly Storm Flag Flying and granddaughter of multiple Grade 1-winner My Flag from the family of Champion Older Mare Personal Ensign. Jouster has won three of her last four starts with the lone loss coming by a nose to Domain Expertise in the mile-and-one- sixteenth Florida Oaks (G3) on March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs. “She’s a naturally fast filly and it seems like she’s starting to settle a bit," Pletcher said. "It’s Todd Pletcher/COADY PHOTO sort of a pivotal race for us in terms of which direction we go with her. If she can handle a mile-and-an-eighth, we may look at some of those races that are a little longer. If not, we’ll cut back in distance. We’re eager to find out how she does." Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Del Toro, Eric Nikolaus and Troy Johnson’s graded-stakes winner Con Lima, a daughter of Commissioner, boasts a record of five wins and four seconds from 10 starts. Con Lima, who has made her last seven starts at Gulfstream Park, made the grade via the disqualification of Spanish Loveaffair in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride, a mile-and-one- sixteenth turf test on Feb. 27. She followed that effort with a fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks won by Crazy Beautiful over dirt on March 27 ahead of a dominant four-length See WONDER AGAIN on page 5 Florida-breds Make Florida Racing Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds won 31.5% of races run at the recent Gulfstream Park Championship Meet? This demonstrates how vital Florida-breds are to the success of Gulfstream Park throughout the year—not just during the Spring/Summer season. Additional good news for Florida breeders—66% of those Florida-bred winners during the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet were sired by Florida stallions. Florida-breds: Race ‘Em or Chase ‘Em! Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Wonder Again page 3 Continued from score last out in the mile-and-one-sixteenth Honey Ryder over good turf. Luis Saez will pilot Jouster from post five, while Flavien Prat Florida-breds has the call aboard Con Lima from post two. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi’s Make Florida Racing Florida-bred Mia Martina, trained by Graham Motion, enters off Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds short rest from a closing fourth in the Hilltop, a one-mile event won 36.8% of races run at the recent Tampa won by Alda on May 14 over firm turf at Pimlico Race Course. Bay Downs season? The Not This Time bay rallied from 16 lengths off the pace to finish just two-and-a-quarter-lengths behind the winner. A winner at first asking on the Gulfstream Park West turf for former trainer Juan Avila, Mia Martina won first out for Motion This demonstrates in a mile-and-one-sixteenth, first condition, $75,000 optional- how vital Florida-breds claimer on the Gulfstream turf in January. She closed late to be are to the success of fourth in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks before a difficult dirt debut Tampa Bay Downs. in the Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct in which she was eased. Mia Martina will look to get back on track from the inside Additional good news for post under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Florida breeders—72% of those Mia Martina is out of Proud and Charming, by Proud Citizen Florida-bred winners during the and she was bred in Florida by CESA Farm. Tampa Bay Meeting were sired Trainer Christophe Clement will also saddle a strong pair in by Florida stallions. Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables’ Plum Ali and Brereton C. Jones’ homebred Creative Cairo. Plum Ali, by First Samurai, won her first three career starts, Florida-breds: culminating in a two-and-a-quarter-length score in the eight- Race ‘Em or and-a-half furlong Miss Grillo (G2) in October at Belmont. She completed her campaign with a closing fifth in the Breeders’ Chase ‘Em! See WONDER AGAIN on page 7 # 9 C. Khozan o/o Verso a Verso # 355 F. Lookin at Lucky o/o Giant’s Accent # 17 F. American Freedom o/o Visions of Candy F. Maclean’s Music o/o Ginza # 75 F. Karakonite (JPN) o/o Alexandrite # 356 C. Flat Out o/o Million Gift ( JPN) # 137 F. Valiant Minister o/o Birthday Suit # 546 F. Tonalist o/o Rapid Rhythm # 246 C. American Freedom o/o Deep in December # 683 Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 Wonder Again page 5 Continued from Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) won by Aunt Pearl (Ire) in November at Keeneland. Plum Ali made her seasonal debut with a close third in the Appalachian, just two lengths in arrears of Jouster. Creative Cairo, by Cairo Prince, prevailed by a nose in a nine-furlong turf route at second asking on April 10 at the Big A. The Kentucky homebred steps into stakes company for the first time from a nearly two-month layoff. Plum Ali will exit post 10 under Joel Rosario, while Manny Franco will guide Creative Cairo from post eight. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Chad Brown will have a pair of contenders in Fluffy Socks and Technical Analysis (Ire) as he looks to win his fourth Wonder Again following scores by Lady Eli [2015], New Money Honey [2017], and Cambier Parc [2019]. Head of Plains Partners’ Fluffy Socks, a Kentucky homebred daughter of Slumber, made the grade in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante traveling one-mile over firm Del Mar turf in November to close out her juvenile campaign. The talented bay won the Selima over yielding Pimlico turf in October ahead of a nose loss to Ingrassia when sec- Plum Ali/COADY PHOTO ond in the Chelsey Flower in November over a soft Belmont turf. complete her 2-year-old season. Fluffy Socks enters from a closing second to Bubbles on Ice Technical Analysis enters from a two-and-three-quarters- (Ire) in the mile-and-one-sixteenth Memories of Silver over firm length score in a mile-and-one-sixteenth optional-claiming event Aqueduct turf on April 18. on firm Belmont turf on April 29. Klaravich Stables’ Technical Analysis, a bay daughter of Ortiz Jr. will guide Fluffy Socks from post seven, while Kingman bred in Ireland by Rabbah Bloodstock Limited, gradu- Technical Analysis will emerge from post nine under Ortiz. ated at second asking over good Aqueduct turf in November to I Get It, Always Late and Gift List complete the field. RICEHORSE STABLE Brandon & Alexandra Rice 12110 N.E. Hwy 315 • Fort McCoy, Fla. 32134 Brandon: (352) 817-0943 Ali: (352) 572-5404 Back to Top Back to Top Page 9 Medina Spirit Split Sample Comes Back Positive The positive test for the regulated thera- used to treat inflammation and pain from a peutic substance betamethasone conducted variety of conditions. These conditions on Medina Spirit following his victory in include multiple sclerosis, arthritis, skin dis- the May 1 Kentucky Derby (Grade 1), has ease and blood disorders. Betamethasone been confirmed by the results of testing a also comes in topical forms, including a split sample according to a June 2 report by cream, gel, lotion, ointment spray and foam.