Blue Skies Ahead for Got Stormy in Honey Fox

Got Stormy has got some new owners.

The veteran turf mare now races for MyRacehorse CA and Spendthrift Farm in the $125,000, one-mile Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park after she was purchased for $2.75 million by Spendthrift Farm from the Bluewater Sales consignment at The November Sale at Fasig-Tipton. She previously competed for owner Gary Barber, for whom she was a dual grade 1 winner.

One constant remains—trainer Mark Casse—who is encouraged by the training of the 6-year-old daughter of Get Stormy .

"We're very pleased with her. Last year I felt like maybe I didn't have her quite as ready for her first start when we ran her, and the one thing I did was I tried to get her ready on the dirt," Casse said. "So, this year I changed my mind and I sent her down and she's been breezing over the turf. She loves to breeze on the turf. She should be good and ready."

Got Stormy will be returning to Gulfstream for the first time since winning an allowance optional claimer in March 2019. Saturday's race follows a freshening after she ran fifth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Nov. 7 at Keeneland. 

Got Stormy raced eight times in 2020 with two wins and two seconds, finishing fourth in the Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes (G3T) in her debut. She continued to race between a mile and a mile and a sixteenth without success, including a runner-up finish in defense of her Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) title before Casse cut her back to sprinting.

She responded by winning the 6 1/2-furlong Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint (G3T) over a soft course at Kentucky Downs and the 5 1/2-furlong Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland leading up to the Breeders' Cup.

Her biggest threat Saturday appears to be Heider Family Stables' Zofelle, who returned from a lengthy layoff to be a popular winner of the one-mile Marshua's River Stakes (G3T) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream. It was the 5-year-old mare's first start since finishing fifth in the Just a Game Stakes (G1T) last June at Belmont Park, after which she was given a break. 

Feel Glorious and Ricetta are other foreign-born fillies with quality form.

Older males will race a sixteenth farther than their female counterparts in the 1 1/16-mile $125,000 Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T), where contention runs deep.

Olympic Runner, Fancy Liquor, Eons, Venezuelan Hug, Monarchs Glen, and Winters Back are all 8-1 or shorter on the morning line in the nine-horse affair.

Eons and Fancy Liquor ran second and sixth, respectively, in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) last out at Tampa Bay Downs.

Fancy Liquor, owned by Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable, won the American Turf Stakes Presented by Smithfield (G2T) last year and two other races for trainer Mike Maker. His 3-year-old season ended with a fifth in the Tropical Park Derby Dec. 26 at Gulfstream, followed by him being unplaced as a 4-year-old at Tampa.

"He's a nice horse, and he has certainly shown his quality and class on a number of occasions," said Dr. Harvey Diamond, who heads Skychai with Jim Shircliff.

Entries: Canadian Turf S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, February 27, 2021, Race 8

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $125,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 2:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Bizzee Channel (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Larry Rivelli	12/1
2	2Olympic Runner (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Mark E. Casse	3/1
3	3Gear Jockey (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	George R. Arnold, II	20/1
4	4Fancy Liquor (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Michael J. Maker	8/1
5	5Eons (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Arnaud Delacour	4/1
6	6Venezuelan Hug (FL)	Junior Alvarado	122	Danny Gargan	9/2
7	7Monarchs Glen (GB)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/1
8	8Dynadrive (KY)	Paco Lopez	118	Michael J. Maker	15/1
9	9Winters Back (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2

Entries: Honey Fox S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, February 27, 2021, Race 11

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $125,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:29 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Secret Time (GER)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Arnaud Delacour	20/1
2	2Got Stormy (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Mark E. Casse	7/5
3	3Nomizar (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Anthony T. Quartarolo	8/1
4	4Ricetta (GB)	Javier Castellano	118	William I. Mott	5/1
5	5Bienville Street (FL)	Paco Lopez	120	Cam M. Gambolati	10/1
6	6Zofelle (IRE)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Brendan P. Walsh	7/2
7	7Feel Glorious (GB)	Junior Alvarado	120	Christophe Clement	9/2
8	8Jakarta (PA)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	Michael J. Maker	15/1
9	9Art of Almost (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1