Florida Sire Stakes Finale at Gulfstream Park

Although there will be no sweep in either the male or female divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes this year, the Oct. 3 finale at Gulfstream Park will feature three juveniles—Ballet Diva, It's High Time, and Tribal Drama—seeking to win at least two legs of the three-race series.



Jacks or Better Farm's homebred Ballet Diva, who has three wins, including two stakes triumphs, from four career starts, will be seeking to replicate her front-running victory in the Susan's Girl Division when she goes postward in Saturday's $500,000 My Dear Girl Division.



The daughter of Hear No Evil   will attempt to stretch her speed beyond the seven-furlong distance of the Sept. 5 Susan's Girl when she faces eight other 2-year-old fillies in the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl.



"You know where she's going to be. Will she stay there? We'll find out. I don't know. I really don't know," said trainer Stanley Gold said of the diminutive filly who broke her maiden by 12 1/2 lengths May 28 and then took the Cassidy Stakes by 4 1/2. "But if you looked at her, you'd say, 'No way'."



Also seeking a second leg of the filly division is Tracy Pinchin's It's High Time, a hombered daughter of Gone Astray   who won a duel with 1-5 favorite and eventual third-place finisher Ballet Diva to take the Desert Vixen division that began the filly series Aug. 8. It's High Time returned to finish third in the Susan's Girl.



Trainer Jose Pinchin said he is optimistic the filly, who is also small, will handle two turns but understands that jockey Edgard Zayas must avoid becoming involved in an early speed duel to give her the best chance to win.



"Ballet Diva is bigger than my filly," said Pinchin, who trains It's High Time for his wife. "My filly is tiny. She was doing good, but I didn't expect her to beat that horse (Ballet Diva). She's gutsy.



"I don't think it (two turns) will be a problem. I'm going to leave it up to Zayas. If she breaks good and no one wants the lead, then 'go.' If not, 'just sit there.' If I get caught in a speed duel going a mile and a sixteenth, I'll die."



In the $500,000 In Reality restricted to colts and geldings, also at 1 1/16 miles, Hallmarc Racing's Tribal Drama will seek his second Florida Sire Series leg after scoring a neck victory over Abercorn in the Affirmed division Sept. 5. The Affirmed was the second win in as many starts for Tribal Drama, who, like his champion sprinter sire Big Drama, is trained by David Fawkes.

 

The In Reality drew 14 entries and two also-eligibles, including Abercorn and Affirmed division third-place finisher Li'l Meatball.



Tribal Drama's debut on Aug. 2 at Gulfstream Park came too late for him to participate in the Dr. Fager at seven furlongs Aug. 8, won by Dream of Me. In the Affirmed, Tribal Drama rated just off the early pace along the backstretch, advanced on the turn to take the lead in the stretch, and held off the late challenge of Abercorn by a neck under jockey Eddie Castro.



"He's easy to work with," Fawkes said. "I expect the horse to rate and do what he's supposed to do. "He's been really just an easy-going, easy-to-deal-with colt who always stays focused. There's never been an issue. There are no real quirks about this horse."



Gold and owner/breeder Jacks or Better Farm have entered four colts—Abercorn, Brighton Lane, Fellowship, and Habersham Village—in the In Reality in pursuit of adding to their record win totals in the Florida Sire Stakes series. Fred Brei's Jacks or Better Farm and Gold have teamed for a record 17 triumphs in the FSS series for juveniles sired by accredited Florida stallions. (They ran their overall respective record FSS totals to 19 with two victories in this season's inaugural series for 3-year-olds.)



An impressive 3 1/2-length maiden winner in his third career start, Abercorn stalked the pace in the Affirmed, just behind Tribal Drama, before steadily gaining on the eventual winner, running out of ground at the wire.



"He'll get two turns," Gold said of the son of Brooks 'n Down.



The two stakes for juveniles highlight the Gulfstream Park card with $1.3 million in purses for horses sired by accredited Florida stallions.