Speedy Wedding Toast Spotted Well in Rampart

Never worse than second in seven lifetime starts, Godolphin Racing's speedy Wedding Toast goes for her sixth victory and second in a graded stakes Feb. 21 in the $100,000 Rampart (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park.

 

For older fillies and mares, the one-turn mile Rampart is one of seven graded stakes on a 12-race card that includes the $400,000 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth (gr. II).

 

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Wedding Toast returned from a nine-month layoff to win the seven-furlong Miami Shores Stakes Jan. 7 in her Gulfstream debut. The 5-year-old daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Street Sense   hadn't run since finishing second behind multiple grade I winner Princess of Sylmar in the Cat Cay Stakes last April, her only start of 2014.

 

"She just was not doing well and was a little sore and needed a little time off," McLaughlin said. "No surgery, we just gave her the time off. She came back fabulous and she's doing great."

 

In the Miami Shores, Wedding Toast dueled for the early lead before edging away down the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Best Behavior. She stretches back out to a mile for the Rampart. She has a win and a second at the distance.

 

"She's a very fast filly and she was aggressive last time going seven-eighths," McLaughlin said. "She was on or near the lead the whole way, so she figures to be on or near the lead again. We're looking forward to her race and all year racing with her. We're glad to have her back."

 

Wedding Toast has maintained her sharpness with four timed works since the Miami Shores. In her only prior graded-stakes attempt, she went all the way on the lead to win the nine-furlong Comely (gr. III) by a head at Aqueduct Racetrack in November 2013.

 

"We don't know exactly her best distance, but seven-eighths to a mile has to be close to her best distance," McLaughlin said. "The track seems to be playing to forwardly-placed horses and she's fast, so she'll be forwardly placed going a mile. She's doing great and she should run well."

 

Wedding Toast drew post 2 in the seven-horse field with Jose Lezcano aboard. All horses will carry 117 pounds in the Rampart.

 

Unbeaten in two lifetime starts at Gulfstream Park, Got Lucky goes for her first graded stakes win in the Rampart for trainer Todd Pletcher. She was second in the Demoiselle (gr. II) in her second career start and was runner-up last year in the Rachel Alexandra (gr. III) and Gazelle (gr. II) before finishing off the board in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

 

Owned by Phil Steinberg and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, the 4-year-old A.P. Indy filly broke her maiden last January at Gulfstream in her sophomore debut. She comes off a one-length win in an allowance/optional claiming race at the Rampart distance Jan. 15 at Gulfstream.

 

"We've always thought she was a stakes-caliber filly, as you can tell by us running her in the Demoiselle as a maiden," Pletcher said. "As is typical of the A.P. Indys that we've been around, they tend to get better as they get older. She's physically blossomed this year as a 4-year-old and gotten bigger and stronger and is carrying better weight than she ever has."



Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Thank You Marylou was a grade III winner last year and concluded the season with back-to-back third-place finishes in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) and La Brea Stakes (gr. I) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park. Trainer Mike Maker gives the return call to Joel Rosario.

 

Based at Gulfstream with trainer David Fawkes, Harold Queen's Sheer Drama looks to win for the first time at her hometown track in the Rampart after finishing second in the Sunshine Millions Distaff last time out. The 5-year-old Burning Roma mare  was second behind Wedding Toast in the 1 1/16-mile Belle Cherie Stakes at Belmont Park in October 2013.

 

"She didn't get beat that far by Wedding Toast in New York and that's when Wedding Toast was really going good," Fawkes said. "She's got class and she's knocked heads with some nice horses. She holds a track record in Maryland and won a stakes in Maryland, and she's training really good here. She's really settled in and put some weight on. I'm very happy with her."

 

House Rules, a minor stakes winner by 9 1/4 lengths going a mile at Gulfstream Jan. 2 for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, joins Oasis at Midnight and Flutterby to complete the field.