Wet Weather Might Affect Sweetest Chant, Dania Beach

Although the richest stakes Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park are on the main track—three graded races headed by the Holy Bull Stakes (G3), a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier—two grass stakes for 3-year-olds complement the card if Mother Nature cooperates.

There is a threat of showers beginning Friday evening and continuing through Saturday in South Florida, with the National Weather Service calling for the possibility of a half-inch of precipitation.

Should the rain come, it could influence the $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Dania Beach for their sophomore male counterparts, both scheduled at a mile on the grass. The experience of most of the entrants has come on firm ground, not on off turf, and some trainers have made main-track-only entries in case the races are moved to dirt.

Although untested on wet turf, 5-2 morning-line shot She's My Type seems the one to beat in the Sweetest Chance. She has won both of her starts, including the Jan. 4 Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream in which she outran a few fillies who return Saturday. Headstrong early when jockey Tyler Gaffalione asked her to tuck in behind rivals, she accelerated late on the second turn and into the stretch to take command, only to slow her pace inside the final furlong. She lasted by a neck over Moral Reasoning, who is back for a rematch.

Moral Reasoning, sent early by Javier Castellano to sit midpack, ahead of She's My Type, lost position down the backstretch and early on the second turn when down inside but found new life when taken outside. She closed to narrowly miss and is now tabbed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite.

Video: Ginger Brew S. (BT)

She's My Type, a French-bred daughter of Dunkerque, races for owner Ghislaine Head and trainer Christophe Clement. Moral Reasoning, a More Than Ready  filly owned by Klaravich Stables, starts for trainer Chad Brown, a winner of six consecutive Sweetest Chants from 2012-17.

One filly with a victory on something other than firm grass is Micheline, a late-running winner on good turf at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 20. A homebred for Godolphin by Bernardini  out of grade 1 winner Panty Raid, she has won two of five starts under the training of Mike Stidham, returning to form after distant losses in a pair of stakes. She won the Sorority Stakes as a maiden over the summer at Monmouth Park.

"We needed to see that for us to consider taking a step like (this) into this race. She definitely bounced back," Stidham said of Micheline's win at Tampa, her first race with blinkers.

The main-track-only entrant in the Sweetest Chant is Filly Jean King.

In the Dania Beach, some of the colts have already raced on testing ground. Homeland and Mr. Kringle were second and third, respectively, in the Dec. 6 Central Park Stakes on yielding turf at Aqueduct Racetrack, and another, Myamanoi, was a blowout maiden winner on good turf in his second career start at Aqueduct.

South Bend, who won the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs last fall on dirt at the mile trip, is one of several who could benefit if there is a surface switch because of wet conditions.

Entries: Sweetest Chant S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, February 01, 2020, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:34 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Sunset Promise (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Michael J. Maker	9/2
2	2Moana's Tale (NY)	Manuel Franco	118	Danny Gargan	8/1
3	3She's My Type (FR)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Christophe Clement	5/2
4	4Cheermeister (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	122	Armando De la cerda	10/1
5	5Reluctant Bride (KY)	Luca Panici	118	Patrick L. Biancone	12/1
6	6Micheline (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Michael Stidham	12/1
7	7Moral Reasoning (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	9/5
8	8Filly Jean King (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Juan Alvarado	10/1
9	9Ivyetsu (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	George R. Arnold, II	10/1

Entries: Dania Beach S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, February 01, 2020, Race 10

• STK
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 4:34 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mr. Kringle (NY)	Javier Castellano	118	John P. Terranova II	10/1
2	2South Bend (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Stanley M. Hough	6/1
3	3Homeland (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	William I. Mott	3/1
4	4Field Pass (MD)	Paco Lopez	118	Michael J. Maker	9/2
5	5Peruvian Boy (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Antonio Sano	20/1
6	6Myamanoi (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Danny Gargan	7/2
7	7Smash (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Juan Alvarado	20/1
8	8Dominate Themoment (FL)	Cristian A. Torres	118	Allen Iwinski	20/1
9	9Famished (ON)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	John C. Kimmel	6/1
10	10Get Smokin (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	118	Thomas M. Bush	12/1
11	11Sprawl (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	William I. Mott	12/1
12	12Disc Jockey (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	4/1