Never Surprised Chases Graded Glory in Canadian Turf

Repole Stable's Never Surprised , second to multiple grade 1-winning stablemate Colonel Liam  in his most recent start, gets the chance to start a new streak March 5 in the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) test at 1 1/16-mile at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Never Surprised had won two straight before setting the pace in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat (G1T) Jan. 29 at Gulfstream. 

Never Surprised returns to a distance where he owns three wins from four tries, including the Gio Ponti Stakes in November at Aqueduct Racetrack and Gulfstream's Dec. 26 Tropical Park Derby, the race Colonel Liam won in 2020 as a prep for his first Pegasus victory.

"We were optimistic going into the Pegasus. We thought he'd run well, and he did," Pletcher said. "He had an outside draw and (jockey Luis Saez) had to use him a little bit to get over, and he really fought back when Colonial Liam came to him. It was a big effort.

"He's backing up a little bit in distance, and he seems to be in good form," he added. "He's run consistently well. If this goes well, we might look at the grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile (April 15) at Keeneland. The spacing is pretty good to that."

Saez, leading the Championship Meet, gets the return call from post 2 in a field of seven.

Calumet Farm grade 3-winning homebred English Bee  was among the invitees to the Pegasus Turf but was unable to draw in and instead traveled to Tampa Bay Downs where he ran fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) Feb. 5. In his prior race, he was third by two lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) Dec. 18 at Gulfstream. Paco Lopez has been named to ride from post 3.

Also entered are MEB Stables' Clear Vision  who ran second in the Claiming Crown Emerald Starter Stakes and won the one-mile Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T) Jan. 8 at Gulfstream. Mouillage , makes his U.S. debut for trainer Chad Brown after never running worse than third in 11 starts in her native France; Mira Mission , last-out winner of a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming Jan. 15 at Gulfstream for trainer Ian Wilkes; 2018 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Noble Indy , claimed for $35,000 out of his most recent start Feb. 10 at Gulfstream by trainer Gustavo Delgado; and Sigiloso  runner-up in Gulfstream's Jan. 22 Sunshine Turf Stakes, rained off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta at 1 1/8 miles.

Entries: Canadian Turf S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 05, 2022, Race 3

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 1:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Sigiloso (FL)	Junior Alvarado	118	Antonio Sano	15/1
2	Never Surprised (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	4/5
3	English Bee (KY)	Paco Lopez	120	H. Graham Motion	8/1
4	Mira Mission (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Ian R. Wilkes	8/1
5	Noble Indy (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	120	Gustavo Delgado	20/1
6	Clear Vision (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Matthew Brice O'Connor	6/1
7	Mouillage (FR)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	7/2

Joseph Trio Among Competitive in Honey Fox (G3) Field

Nine Stakes Winners are slated among the 11-horse field for one-mile turf event March 5. Championship Meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be well represented with three contenders in a deep and competitive edition of the Honey Fox (G3T) Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Topping Joseph's Honey Fox trio are stakes winners Lovely Luvy  and Sugar Fix . Sonata Stable's Lovely Luvy got caught with her head turned at the start of the one-mile, 70-yard Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Jan. 22 at Gulfstream, (rained off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta) but came with a strong late run to win by 2 1/4 lengths over fellow Florida-breds.

Lovely Luvy also found trouble in her prior start, a one-mile optional claiming allowance Dec. 10 at Gulfstream where she was forced to check sharply and wound up fifth, 6 1/4 lengths behind Katama Moonlight, her stablemate who also returns in the Honey Fox.

"She comes out of the same race as Katama Moolight. She met trouble in that race, and the last time, the Tapeta is a slower kind of surface so it suited her style more. That was the first time she got a clean trip and she was victorious," Joseph said. "With her on the turf, because she comes from behind and she's a little tricky to ride, she kind of meets trouble. But, she's a horse that, if she gets a clean trip, she can be competitive. Trip is so important with her."

Junior Alvarado gets the return call from Post 1 in a field of 11.

Big Frank Stable and Mad Dog Racing Stable's Sugar Fix owns three wins and three seconds in seven tries over the Gulfstream turf. She captured the 1 1/16-mile Claiming Crown Tiara by 1 1/4 lengths Dec. 4, and exits a runner-up finish to Lovely Luvy in the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf. Claimed for $40,000 out of a July 2020 win at Saratoga, she took a short lead into the stretch but was no match for her stablemate.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will be aboard from Post 2.

Other leading contenders for Saturday's test are the Joseph trained Katama Moonlight, the 6-year-old is scheduled to become a broodmare this year for owner Magic Cap Stables. Fortune Racing's Bipartisanship , Starlight Racing and Glen Hill Farm's grade 2 winner Jouster , Godolphin homebred Alms , and Amerman Racing's Gift List will all be slated for the test.

Entries: Honey Fox S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 05, 2022, Race 9

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Lovely Luvy (FL)	Junior Alvarado	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
2	Sugar Fix (FL)	Javier Castellano	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
3	Jouster (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	-
4	Quinoa Tifah (FL)	Joseph Talamo	118	Carlos A. David	-
5	Bipartisanship (GB)	Paco Lopez	120	H. Graham Motion	-
6	Gift List (GB)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	Brian A. Lynch	-
7	Alms (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Michael Stidham	-
8	Wakanaka (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	William I. Mott	-
9	In Italian (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	-
10	Katama Moonlight (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
11	Navratilova (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	123	George R. Arnold, II	-