Florida Sire Stakes Series Continues Sept. 5

Jacks or Better Farm and trainer Stanley Gold are well-positioned to improve on their record 16 wins in the Florida Sire Stakes Series in the Affirmed and Susan's Girl divisions at Gulfstream Park Sept. 5.



The two stakes for juveniles, each worth $300,000 and at seven furlongs, highlight a 12-race card featuring six stakes worth a total of $1.05 million in purses. The $150,000 Prized (for colts and geldings) and the $150,000 Jewel Princess (for fillies), both at a mile on turf for Florida Sires Stakes-nominated 3-year-olds, the $75,000 The Vid, and the $75,000 Wasted Tears round out the stakes offerings.



In the Affirmed for 2-year-old colts and geldings, Jacks or Better and Gold have three entrants—Brighton Lane, who finished third in the six-furlong  Dr. Fager division of the FSS Aug. 8; Fellowship, a stakes-placed colt who finished fifth in the Dr. Fager; and recent maiden winner Abercorn.



A full brother to multiple grade I stakes winner Jackson Bend, Brighton Lane has raced twice, both times breaking from the No. 1 post, winning his debut on May 29 and making a five-wide move on the turn to check in a fast-finishing third in the six-furlong Dr. Fager. With Jesus M. Rios returning to the saddle, the son of Hear No Evil   will break from post 7.



"The extra furlong should help for sure and not getting the 1-hole for the third time will also help for sure," said Gold, whose well-connected colt drew the No. 7 post. "He's got such a good attitude. He has so much play-around, he doesn't seem bothered with anything that's happening out there. He had the worst of it twice being in the 1-hole. He got buried twice. One time he got to the outside. The other time he kicked in at the eighth-pole. He really kicked in. You could see he ran the fastest last quarter."



Fellowship, a son of Awesome of Course  , was an impressive first-out winner and runner-up in the Birdonthewire Stakes before racing evenly to finish fifth in the Dr. Fager.



"Fellowship has disappointed me. I put blinkers on; that might help," Gold said. "I hope it's not a misjudgment of my opinion of him."



Abercorn is coming off a 3 1/2-length maiden win on Aug. 18 in his third lifetime start.



"Abercorn seems to be coming into his own, so the timing was right," Gold said. "Sometimes a horse gets good at the right time, so we put him in there."



Also returning in the Affirmed are Kathy Machesky's Dream of Me and Champion Equine's Mr. Kisses, the respective first- and second-place finishers in the Dr. Fager.



Dream of Me, trained by Anna Varsi, pressed the pace set by Mr. Kisses into the stretch before drawing off to a 2 1/4-length victory under Eduardo Nunez. The son of High Cotton   had previously broken his maiden in his second lifetime start July 26.



David Braddy-trained Mr. Kisses, from the first crop of 2010 champion sprinter Big Drama, had captured a $50,000 maiden claiming race in his second start on July 24 before making the jump to stakes company in the Dr. Fager.



Hallmarc Racing's Tribal Drama, another juvenile son of Big Drama, didn't compete in the first leg of the lucrative series for 2-year-old horses sired by nominated Florida stallions, winning his debut by 5 3/4 lengths at 4-5 favoritism just six days before the $200,000 Dr. Fager was run at Gulfstream Park Aug. 8.



The co-featured Susan's Girl is headed by Tracy Pinchin's It's High Time, 3 1/4-legnth winner of the Desert Vixen division on the same card as the Dr. Fager. The 2-year-old daughter of Gone Astray   has won two of three starts, with a third in the Cassidy Stakes.



Also coming back from the Desert Vixen are Silent Prayer and Ballet Diva, Jacks or Better campaigners who finished second and third, respectively. Winner of the Cassidy Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Ballet Diva was the 1-5 favorite in the Desert Vixen and dueled throughout with It's High Time before finishing third.