ftboa.com • Friday • May 14, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FSS Yearling Deadline Reminder May 15 - $250 Click here for form Click here to check eligibility In This Issue: Eventful Morning for Preakness Contender French Go de Ina Tobys Heart Headlines Soaring Softly Florida-bred Willy Boi/LAUREN KING PHOTO Feel Glorious Chasing Graded Victory Florida-bred Willy Boi Set for Speed Filled Chick Lang Gulfstream Park Charts BY BROCK SHERIDAN _____________ Florida-breds run at six furlongs on Jan. 7. Florida Stallion Progeny List As a 2-year-old last year, Willy Boi won Lea Farm LLC’s Willy Boi is among six one start against special weight maidens 3-year-old sprinters set for the Grade 3 going six furlongs at Gulfstream on Dec. 10. Chick Lang Stakes to be run Saturday at Willy Boi was purchased by Lea Farms Florida Breeders’ List Pimlico Race Course on the undercard for for $40,000 out of the 2020 Ocala the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. The Chick Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale where Lang offers a purse of $200,000 and is run he was consigned by Ocala Stud. at six furlongs. Willy Boi is by Uncaptured out of Wire to Wire Business Place Willy Boi, who won the $75,000 Shining Moment, by Yes It’s True and he Hutcheson Stakes two starts back by half- was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and length at Gulfstream Park over a sloppy William J. Terrell. He has won three of five Featured Advertisers and sealed six furlongs on March 6, has starts with earnings of $116,035. since finished second to fellow Florida- Willy Boi is trained by Jeff Engler and Florida Department of Agriculture bred Foreman in the $100,000 Ocala John Velazquez will ride from post six. Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes on They are listed at 3-1 in the morning line. FTBOA Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs on Favored at 4-5 is Jaxon Traveler, winner March 28. of the $120,000 Bachelor Stakes at Journeyman Stud In two other starts this year, he was Oaklawn going six furlongs on April 24 in eighth in the Grade 3 Holy Bull won by his last race. Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Greatest Honour going a mile-and-one- Trained by Steve Asmussen for West Ocala Stud sixteenth on the Triple Crown trail on Jan. Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner, 30 and won a first-level allowance race for See CHICK LANG on page 3 Seminole Feed Back to Top Page 3 Chick Lang Continued from COVER Jaxon Traveler has won four of five career starts with his only defeat coming in a near miss second to Sir Wellington in the $150,000 Gazebo Stakes at Oaklawn going six furlongs on March 20. That was also his only start in which he was unable to set the pace. He also won the Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel going six furlongs on Oct. 23 after breaking his maiden by 10 lengths in his first career start in September. Jaxon Traveler has earned $270,762 from his five starts. He is by Munnings out of Listen Boy, by After Market and he will be ridden by Irad Oritz Jr. from post four. Jaxon Traveler was a $140,000 purchased by West Point out of the Grassroots Training and Sales consignment at the 2020 OBS Spring Sales held in June. Asmussen will also saddle Mighty Mischief for the Chick Lang. Owned by longtime Asmussen clients William and Corine Heiligbrodt, Mighty Mischief has won two of three career starts including a first level, $75,000 optional claiming allowance most recently going six furlongs at Oaklawn on April 10. He won for the first time in his second attempt against special weight maidens at Oaklawn going six furlongs on March 19. His only loss came in his career debut when second in a maiden special weight going six furlongs on muddy track at Oaklawn on Feb. 7. Mighty Mischief is by Into Mischief out of Wealth Creation and he has made $135,200 in his three starts. He is 5-2 in the morning line and Richardo Santana will be in the saddle when he breaks from post two. Asmussen will be trying to win the Chick Lang for the fifth time having scored with Lantana Mob in 2008, Holy Boss in 2015, Mitole in 2018 and Yaupon last year. That would break a tie with Ben Perkins as the most wins in the Chick Lang. The remainder of the field in post positon order includes Palatial Times, Hemp and Shackleford Love. 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 Eventful Morning for France Go de Ina Preakness Contender Works at Pimlico French Go de Ina BY PIMLICO PRESS OFFICE __________________________ BALTIMORE—There were some anxious moments for Yuji Inaida’s France Go de Ina at Pimlico Race Course Wednesday morning. The colt from Japan had just completed his four-furlong breeze when exercise rider Masaki Takano suddenly fell off the son of Will Take Charge just after he passed the finish line. There were no other horses on the track. France Go de Ina pre- pares for Saturday’s Grade 1 Preakness Stakes each day following regular training hours due to quarantine regulations. Takano slowly got to his feet as France Go de Ina continued on Click to View before being apprehended by Pimlico outriders. Both Takano and the horse are fine, according to Kate Hunter, the Preakness field representative for the Japan Racing Association. “[Takano] slipped a bit from the stirrup on the left side and lost his balance,” Hunter said. “The horse is fine.” Trainer Hideyuki Mori was trackside and bolted towards the Florida-bred Medina Spirit winner’s circle, where Takano stood and waited for France Go de Ina to be retrieved and brought back. Takano then got back on at Pimlico board and was led by Yuri into the Pimlico paddock, where he took several laps in a schooling session. After watching video of the incident, Mori was relieved that France Go de Ina did not stumble or take a bad step. “It had nothing to do with the horse,” Mori said through Hunter, who serves as his interpreter. “He breezed well. Luckily, or unluck- ily, the rider fell off after the goal, just after the finish line, after he finished his workout.” France Go de Ina, who finished sixth in the Group 2 UAE Derby sponsored by Emirates NBD on March 27 in Dubai after winning two of three starts in Japan, was timed in :49.40. Having a workout three days before a major race is not common in the United States, but Hunter said it’s quite common in Japan. She also said that after an exercise rider falls or is thrown from a horse in Japan, things are different. “In Japan, there are no outriders,” Hunter said, “So, they kind of Click to View let the horse stop and the guy who fell off has to go catch it.” After he walked back to the barn with Takano on his back, France Go de Ina did his normal hour of walking at the isolation barn following his visit to the track. “We are just very happy that the horse is okay,” Mori said. Concert Tour at Pimlico Medina Spirit, Concert Tour ‘Fresh’ for Middle Jewel of Triple Crown After taking Medina Spirit and Concert Tour to the Pimlico track for training Wednesday morning, veteran assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes said he likes what he sees in the high-profile entrants in the Preakness. “I look for both of them to run very well on Saturday,” said Barnes, who is overseeing the training of the colts at Pimlico in the absence of trainer Bob Baffert. Zedan Racing Stable’s Medina Spirit led the way throughout while finishing first in the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1). Gary and Mary West’s Concert Tour will be making his first start since finishing third Click to View See PREAKNESS NOTES on page 7 Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 Preakness Notes page 5 Continued from as the favorite in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn. Medina Spirit and Concert Tour shipped from Churchill Downs to Pimlico Race Course by van on Monday. Barnes sent them out to jog a mile Tuesday and stepped up their exercise Wednesday, when they galloped about a mile-and-one-half under Humberto Gomez. Beautiful Gift, the morning-line favorite for Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on Friday, had the same routine earlier in the morning. “All three looked beautiful on the track,” Barnes said. “They go over the track very well. It looks like a really good surface here. We’re very happy with that.” Barnes said that Medina Spirit does not appear to be tired from his run in the Kentucky Derby. “It was nothing for him,” Barnes said. “He came out of the other race so well and seemed to be fresh and happy. He’s been fresh and happy the whole time we’ve been here. We’ve had had good weather.