Jacks or Better, Gold Top Sire Stakes Entries

Jacks or Better Farm and trainer Stanley Gold, who have teamed for a record 16 victories in the Florida Sire Stakes series, are in a good position to improve on that tally at Gulfstream Park Aug. 8.

The owner-trainer duo, which raced series sweepers Jackson Bend (2009), Awesome Feather (2010), and Fort Loudon (2011), have eight horses entered on the card that consists of seven stakes, two that are part of the Sire Series.

Brighton Lane and Fellowship will represent Jacks or Better and Gold in the $200,000 Dr. Fager division at six furlongs. The 11th race on the card drew nine 2-year-old colts and geldings sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.

"That's double trouble there," Gold said of his colts, both of which have been entered as not racing with the anti-bleeder medication Salix. "We'll have one that is close to the pace and one that isn't close. Their styles aren't going to get in each other's way."

In his debut at Gulfstream May 29, Brighton Lane stalked the early pace set by Graphite Strike before kicking in to win the five-furlong sprint by three-quarters of a length. The homebred son of Hear No Evil  , who is a full brother to multiple grade I winner Jackson Bend, breaks from the rail with Eddie Castro aboard.

"Brighton Lane is kind of the dark horse that they're going to find out about. He ran the one time and he won, and this horse hasn't stepped back since," Gold said. "He's Jackson Bend's full brother. He has the same running style. His head doesn't move much. It's just down and he grinds it out and comes on."

Fellowship won his debut, a dominating four-length victory, and then finished second in the $100,000 Birdonthewire Stakes July 5. In that stakes debut, the son of Awesome of Course   stalked stablemate Silent Prayer before taking a brief lead in deep stretch, only to be caught by Francesco Blue.

Coming off a game neck victory in his career debut in maiden special weight company July 5 is Michael Bernard's Danbury, who lacked running room while racing along the rail, before being angled out three-wide at the top of the stretch, and kicked in late to overtake the pacesetter.

"He's a very precocious horse," trainer Bill Kaplan said of the Kanthros colt purchased for $25,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s April sale. "He has a lot of speed, but he's not crazy. He's rate-able. He'll do whatever you want him to do. He ran a huge race last time. He only won by a neck, but he got stopped badly, had to circle around and regroup, and he still ran them down in the stretch."

Among other maiden special weight winners in the Dr. Fager are George Kerr's Li'l Meatball, who posted a sharp nine-length victory at Gulfstream June 21, and Kathy Machesky's Dream of Me, the only horse in the field that has been victorious at six furlongs, having broken his maiden by 3 3/4 lengths July 26.

Jacks or Better and Gold also have two entered in the fifth race, the $200,000 Desert Vixen, which is the fillies' counterpart to the Dr. Fager that attracted eight entrants.

Jacks or Better's Ballet Diva lived up to her 6-5 favoritism when the daughter of Hear No Evil rolled a 12 1/4-length victory in her debut at Gulfstream May 28. Moved into stakes company, the filly responded with a 4 1/2-length romp in the $100,000 Cassidy Stakes under another hand ride July 5. The final time of 1:04.06 for 5 1/2 furlongs was more than a second faster than the winning time by Francesco Blue in the Birdonthewire at the same distance the same day.

"It amazes me, when you look at the package, that she can do that. She's not real imposing to look at. She's light-boned. She's not large," Gold said. "But she's very light on her feet with a long stride. She's just fast—that's it. This filly hasn't been asked."

Gold and Jacks or Better Farm will also be represented by Silent Prayer in the Desert Vixen. Silent Prayer was also victorious in her debut, scoring a front-running 1 1/2-length win May 6. Since Gold wanted to keep the fillies apart, he entered Silent Prayer against the boys in the Birdonthewire, in which she set the pace before fading to third.

Tracy Pinchin's It's High Time will face Ballet Diva for a second time, after finishing a tiring third in the Cassidy. The Jose Pinchin-trained daughter of Gone Astray   had previously posted a front-running 7 1/4-length victory in her debut.

The $150,000 Unbridled for 3-year-old males at seven furlongs is headed by Jacks of Better's Sing Praises, winner of the Birdonthewire, Dr. Fager, and In Reality Stakes a year ago. Eight 3-year-old fillies have been entered in the $150,000 Three Ring Stakes, topped by Dogwood Trail, a Jacks or Better homebred who won the Azalea Stakes (gr. III) last out. Also entered are multiple stakes winners R Sassy Lass and Holywell.