R Disaster Looks for Redemption in Hurricane Bertie

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out a quintet of fillies and mares in the $175,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) being run March 7 at Gulfstream Park, led by 2025 Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) winner R Disaster . This will be the first start of 2026 for the 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Slew  . 

A model of consistency, R Disaster never finished outside the top two in her 13-race career, with runner-up finishes last year in three graded stakes, including the Hurricane Bertie. She also ran second in the Vagrancy Stakes (G3) and the Honorable Miss Stakes (G2), where she finished ahead of eventual 2025 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Scylla . 

R Disaster, owned by Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing, and ATM Racing, was last seen finishing a head behind Hillerito  in the Dream Supreme Stakes Nov. 8 at Churchill Downs.

Her competition in the 6 1/2-furlong Hurricane Bertie will be stablemates Taliesin , stakes winner Luvumorgan , 2025 Charles Town Oaks (G2) winner Indy Bay , and graded stakes-placed stakes winner Andrea .

Taliesin comes off a third-place finish in a strong allowance optional claiming race Jan. 22 at Gulfstream, where she finished behind Lynn's Milky Way  and last year's Hurricane Bertie winner Nic's Style . She faces Lynn's Milky Way again Saturday in the Hurricane Bertie. Smith Ranch Stables' 4-year-old daughter of Volatile   comes into the race off back-to-back wins at Gulfstream in 6-furlong allowance optional claiming races. 

Agave Racing Stable and Miller Racing's Indy Bay has been winless since her victory in the Charles Town Oaks, with her most recent effort a 10th-place finish Jan. 24 in the Inside Information Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream. Luvumorgan and Andrea, 10th and third, respectively, to Indy Bay in the Charles Town Oaks, are longshots on the morning line after going winless since minor stakes victories last summer.

Mark Anderson's millionaire Sterling Silver , who was last seen finishing second to Grand Job  in the Inside Information Stakes, is favored at 2-1 on the morning line as she looks to get back to her winning ways.

"She's very straightforward. She's one of the easiest horses to train. She does everything you ask," trainer Anthony Margotta Jr. said. "She's just a mature 7-year-old, very classy mare, very classy."

The 7-year-old daughter of Cupid   has held her own against some of racing's most highly regarded stars over the past four years. Before the Inside Information, she won back-to-back stakes, taking the Iroquois Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Rampart Stakes at Gulfstream, which was her first start for Margotta. Prior to that, she was under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who took over her training in the summer of 2024.

"I put my team up against any team in the business," Margotta said. "We're just a small operation, that's why we don't carry a lot of horses, but we do a very good job. It was extremely satisfying to win the Rampart. Billy is a Hall of Fame trainer. When we get one from a guy like him, it's always a feather in our cap when we can do what they've done.

"When I saw Bill after the race, he said, 'Well, that worked out OK.' What a filly she is, Grand Job. She ran a 95 Beyer, Sterling Silver. A 95 Beyer wins that race nine out of 10 times. The only time you don't win is when Grand Job is in there. Grand Job ran a 100 Beyer. That was an outstanding effort, and I take nothing away from the winner."

Sterling Silver was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect at Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale last fall but failed to meet her reserve, attracting a final bid of $975,000.

Beyond Belief  and Roswell  round out the field.

Litigation Heads Field of Seven for Silks Run

Stone Farm's homebred Litigation  will take on six rivals in the $125,000 Silks Run Stakes on the same card, going 5 furlongs on the turf. The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy   is coming into the race off a victory Jan. 24 in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes.

Since breaking his maiden in May of last year, he has only finished off the board once—in the Dec. 20 Janus Stakes at Gulfstream, after getting bumped at the break and never fully settling in. Regular rider Mario Gutierrez will be in the irons for trainer Brian Lynch. 

Among those Litigation will face is Sport of Kings Racing Partners' Coppola , who won both the 2024 Silks Run. The 7-year-old millionaire son of Into Mischief   was victorious twice in 2025, taking the William Garrett Handicap and Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. He has finished off the board in his first two starts of this year. He has already notched four wins at this course and distance, all in stakes.

Mark Casse will send out Live Oak Plantation's homebred Souper Quest , who won an allowance optional claiming race Feb. 7 at Gulfstream. The 6-year-old Florida-bred Munnings   gelding finished fourth in last year's Silks Run.

Another formidable challenger could be Robert Cotran's Rezasrolex , a 5-year-old gelded son of Bucchero  , who has won 13 of 18 career starts. After rattling off nine consecutive wins, he comes into the Silks Run off a second by neck in the Feb. 14 Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, his first defeat since June 2, 2024.