Breeze On By, Go Jo Jo Go Head Florida Sire Stakes

A resilient winner of the Aug. 1 Dr. Fager Stakes, Breeze On By will seek his second straight Florida Sire Stakes victory Aug. 29 in the $200,000 Affirmed at Gulfstream Park, giving trainer Ralph Nicks a solid shot at his fourth consecutive success in the seven-furlong event for 2-year-olds sired by accredited Florida stallions.

The Affirmed will co-headline Saturday's Florida Sire Stakes program at Gulfstream with the $200,000 Susan's Girl, a seven-furlong event for juvenile fillies. The $75,000 Proud Man, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds, and the $75,000 Sharp Susan, a mile turf stakes for juvenile fillies, will be supporting stakes on a 12-race program. 

Nicks has saddled the Affirmed winner the past three seasons, scoring with Soutache (2017), Garter and Tie (2018), and Liam's Lucky Charm (2019).

"Six, seven years, I've been here now. After the second year, I knew I had to competitive in the sire stakes," said Nicks, who made a decision to base his stable year-round in South Florida when Gulfstream Park instituted a spring/summer meet. "I've been fortunate enough to have clients to send me horses that are eligible for that and I've been fortunate enough to have some with the talent to get it done. The racing gods have allowed us to put it all together on those days."

Breeze On By gave Nicks his seventh Florida Sire Stakes success since 2006, while providing Gilbert Campbell's Stonehedge Farm with a 13th victory in the prestigious tradition-rich series while winning the six-furlong Dr. Fager. Michael Yates-trained Go Jo Jo Go upped that total to 14 for Stonehedge with a win in the Aug. 1 FSS Desert Vixen.

The gelded son of Cajun Breeze , who made an auspicious debut while capturing a July 12 maiden special weight race at Gulfstream by six lengths, set the pace in the six-furlong Dr. Fager before meeting a strong challenge from Gatsby at the top of the stretch. After Gatsby put his nose in front in mid-stretch, Breeze On By fought back gamely to prevail by a length.

"He seemed to have handled the pressure of two races close together. It looks like he put some weight on and matured some more, so hopefully he'll move forward from here," Nicks said. "He's a big rangy horse. I think he'll handle (seven furlongs) fine. It'll depend on pace scenarios and set-up, but time will tell on that."

Emisael Jaramillo has the return call.

Nicks and Stonehedge will also be represented in the Affirmed by a pair of promising maiden winners, Seazan and Big Daddy Dave. Meanwhile, Top Boss will give Stonehedge a fourth chance to boost its gaudy FSS numbers. The Kathleen O'Connell-trained Top Boss captured a $50,000 maiden claiming race by 71/2 lengths in his fourth career start.

Arindel's Gatsby, an impressive winner of his April 12 debut, rebounded from an off-the-board finish in the June 27 Bashford Manor (G3) at Churchill Downs with his gusty second-place finish in the Dr. Fager. The homebred son of Brethren  pulled off an upset victory over heavily favored Golden Pal in his April 12  debut at 4 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream, chasing the Wesley Ward-trained odds-on favorite into the stretch before edging clear by three-quarters of a length. Golden Pal has gone on to impress on turf, finishing second in the Norfolk Stakes (G2T) at Royal Ascot and winning last week's Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course handily by 3 1/2 lengths.

Famous Gent, Florala Al, Grey Dom, and Advance Cash round out the field.

Go Jo Jo Go Eyes Susan's Girl

Stonehedge's Go Jo Jo Go took a little while to really get going, saving her very best for start of the 2020 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream Park. 

The Michael Yates-trained daughter of Khozan , who graduated with an upset victory in the $100,000 Desert Vixen Aug. 1 in her fourth career start, is sitting on 'go' for Saturday's $200,000 Susan's Girl Stakes.

Go Jo Jo Go, who scored at odds of at 21-1 in the six-furlong Desert Vixen, had more than her share of misfortune in the first three starts of her career. After clipping heels and unseating her rider as the 8-5 favorite in her May 14th debut, she experienced bumping at the start of her next two races in which she finished third May 20 and fifth July 11.

Although the Stonehedge homebred once again experienced bumping at the start of the Desert Vixen, she rallied five-wide on the turn and drew off to a 1 1/4-length victory over favorited Princess Secret.

"The (Sire) Stakes were kind of always in the plans. It didn't look like she was a contender going into the first leg, but the racing experience all helps with young horses. One or two races don't define their career, even if they're bad," Yates said. "She showed a lot of positive things in her first couple of races that gave us enough encouragement to take a shot."

Although Go Jo Jo Go took bettors by surprise in the Desert Vixen, her trainer was far from shocked by her breakthrough performance.

"She's a horse from Day 1, when I got her from Stonehedge, she's been very forward. She wants to do a lot every time she goes to the track, which makes her a little difficult to train, as well, because she wants to do so much all the time," Yates said, "But we think we've figured her out. Time will tell."

Yates doesn't expect the seven furlongs of the Susan's Girl to pose any problem for Go Jo Jo Go.

"She finished really well last time. Hopefully we can get away from the gate in good order and just kind of sit on her and let her make her one run down the lane," Yates said. "That's the plan."

Leonel Reyes, who rode five winners on Sunday's program at Gulfstream Park, has the return mount aboard Go Jo Jo Go.

Stonehedge will also be represented in the Susan's Girl by Ralph Nicks-trained Oh Deborah.

The homebred daughter of Winslow Homer won at first asking July 19, stalking the pacesetter before drawing clear by 3 1/2 lengths.

"She's an obvious closer off her first race. We're adding blinkers and we'll see how she does. There's a lot of time between races. She kicked the (stall) wall and hurt her hind foot or she would have run in the first leg. That's why she was scratched," Nicks said. "She's training well. She acts like a horse that wants to run on down the racetrack."

Princess Secret, owned by trainer Daniel Pita, looms as the Stonehedge's most serious obstacle to capturing another Florida Sire Stakes victory. The daughter of Khozan was victorious in her May 7 debut with a front-running four-length victory. She met the boys in the first juvenile allowance of the meet July 5, finishing second, 1 1/2 lengths behind highly regarded Papetu after getting bumped around at the start. Princess Secret set the pace in the Desert Vixen before being overtaken by Go Jo Jo Go inside the final sixteenth of a mile.



Arindel and trainer Juan Alvarado will be represented by two daughters of Brethren, Freak and Lyrical. Freak, who finished third in her July 11 debut, made a sweeping move to the lead before weakening late in the Desert Vixen, finishing third, a nose behind Princess Secret for second. Lyrical, who broke her maiden in her second start, was an early factor in the Desert Vixen before fading to sixth.

Alluramore, who is owned by trainer Steven Dwoskin, will return in the Susan's Girl after finishing an even fourth in her career debut in the Desert Vixen.