Chance It, Liam's Lucky Charm Meet Again at Gulfstream

After splitting the first two legs of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association's Florida Sire Stakes for 2-year-olds, Chance It and Liam's Lucky Charm will look to secure supremacy in the series that closes Sept. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

The $400,000 In Reality division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes is the final leg of the lucrative series for juveniles by nominated stallions standing in Florida. The 1 1/16-mile race will co-headline Saturday's program with the $400,000 My Dear Girl for juvenile fillies going 1 1/16 miles, where Ceci Valentina will try to close that series with back-to-back wins.

Not only did Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It and Stonehedge's Liam's Lucky Charm split the first two divisions of the series, they each finished second in the race they didn't win. Chance It won the six-furlong Dr. Fager division by 3 1/4 lengths Aug. 3 at Gulfstream before Liam's Lucky Charm prevailed by a head in the Affirmed division Aug. 31 at seven furlongs after the duo battled through the stretch.

Ralph Nicks, who trains Liam's Lucky Charm and won the In Reality in 2017 with Soutache, said both of this year's young rivals are talented.

"He showed guts and steadiness," Nicks said of Liam's Lucky Charm's victory in the Affirmed. "He never quit. He maintained his pace and kept running. Chance It is a very, very good horse that I have the utmost respect for. It's a shame they're in the same year, probably."

Both trainers are confident their young runners will be able to stretch out to two turns. Saffie Joseph Jr., trainer of Chance It, believes the son of grade 1-winning sprinter Currency Swap has enough stamina on his dam's side.

"Any change, any change in life, until you do it, there's always going to be some doubt. There's always a question mark. Watching him train, I think he can handle two turns," Joseph said. "Pedigree-wise on his sire's side, it tells you no. But he has Pleasantly Perfect on his dam's side, which should give him distance. He doesn't train like a horse that distance will be a problem."

After a two-length maiden win in August at Gulfstream, Ceci Valentina, by Prospective , won her stakes debut in the Susan's Girl division, rallying from ninth early to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Bahamian Girl, who is back for the series finale. When Amalio Ruiz-Lozano's Ceci Valentina tries two turns for the first time, trainer Angel Rodriguez believes her mental approach will help.

"She's very smart. She was in a lot of trouble last time. She broke from the gate and was pinched back. When she made her move, a jock fell off his horse in front of her. When she saw him, she went around and checked. Then, when she turned for home, she checked again and had to go around everybody, and she still won," Rodriguez said. "She was finishing strong. It wasn't like she was pleading for the wire. She kept going.

"I think she's going to love (two turns). Distance is not a problem for her. Last time, she was in a lot of trouble. She was last and she was able to recover. I think distance will be even better for her."

Ceci Valentina finished third in her July 14 debut at five furlongs but graduated in her next start, closing from fifth to win by two lengths at 5 1/2 furlongs before scoring in the Susan's Girl.