Swagger Jagger a Feel-Good Gulfstream Winner

Swagger Jagger prevailed over 13 rivals in the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 28, providing owner Kevin Warner with a considerably better outcome than he had in last year's edition of the mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds.

"I had a horse by the name of Firespike in the race last year and I came down for the race. I flew home the next day and had a stroke," said the Lexington resident, who owns the son of Crown of Thorns   in a partnership. "I was in the ICU for eight or nine days. It's kind of bittersweet to come back here and win this race after what happened last year."

Warner, whose 2014 entrant in the Pulpit finished eighth, was back in good health and decidedly happier with the outcome of Saturday's race, one of six $75,000 stakes for 2-year-olds on an 11-race program that closed the two-month Fall Turf Festival meet. Live racing returns to Gulfstream Park Dec. 5 for the opening of the 2015-16 Championship Meet.

The Mike Maker-trained juvenile, who was sent to post as the 7-1 fourth choice, raced between horses midpack along the backstretch and far turn. Jockey Eddie Castro needed to bide his time while lacking room at the top of the stretch before swinging Swagger Jagger to the outside. Once in the clear, the Florida-bred colt kicked in with a steady drive that yielded a victory by a neck over late-closing Life Imitates Art. Mountain Music Man, the 4-5 favorite who grabbed the lead in mid-stretch with an inside move under jockey Edgard Zayas, finished third, a length back.

Swagger Jagger, who broke his maiden on turf in his prior start after finishing off the board in a pair of Florida Sire Stakes events on dirt, ran the mile in 1:37.56.

Castro came back two races later to ride the winner of the other turf stakes on Saturday's card, guiding Todd Pletcher-trained Lira to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Wait a While, a mile race for fillies.

Owned by Mathis Stable, Lira saved ground behind the leaders around the first turn and was in striking distance at the top of the stretch but lacked running room until Castro spotted a hole along the inside. When asked for her run, Lira responded with a strong kick to draw clear to the wire. Pacesetter Recognition held second, a neck ahead of Sapphire Kitten, the even-money favorite ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Lira, the 9-2 third choice, ran a mile on turf in 1:38.85.

"I wanted to be close up behind the two speed horses in the front. I waited and waited to find room for my horse, and when I had room she rushed up there. She's a very nice filly. She makes a nice impression. She's a little immature still but she's a nice filly," Castro said.

The daughter of Giant's Causeway   had run only once previously, capturing a maiden special weight on the Gulfstream Park West turf course Oct. 11.

"She really hasn't gotten it all together yet," said Anthony Sciametta, assistant trainer to Pletcher. "I think she's really going to be OK down the road."

Ballet Diva and Rafting also proved a pair of juveniles worth watching come the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park after winning stakes races Saturday.

Jacks or Better Farm's homebred filly Ballet Diva, who won the Cassidy and Susan's Girl Division of the Florida Sire Stakes over the summer at Gulfstream, put away heavily favored Brandy's Girl around the turn and then held off Dad's Kiddo down the stretch to win the $75,000 House Party at six furlongs.

Approximately an hour later, Werthheimer and Frere's Rafting, a chestnut son of Tapit   who broke his maiden at Saratoga Race Course in September for trainer Graham Motion, held off Sire Stakes winner Fellowship down the stretch to win the Smooth Air at a mile.

Ballet Diva, trained by Stanley Gold and ridden by Jose Caraballo stalked Brandy's Girl past a :22.19 opening quarter. Around the final turn, she galloped past the tiring frontrunner and had plenty left down the stretch while covering six furlongs in 1:11.96.

Ballet Diva was making her first start since finishing sixth as the favorite Oct. 3 in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality division of the Sire Stakes. Gold believes the daughter of Hear No Evil, whose victory in the Susan's Girl came at seven furlongs, can cover more distance.

"As long as it's one turn we'll be OK," he said. "The mile at Gulfstream is a one-turn race. She just showed now she doesn't need the lead. I didn't tell (Caraballo) to do that, he chose to stalk. The Old Hat (gr. III) is coming up (Jan. 2)."

In the $75,000 Smooth Air, Rafting was brushed at the start under jockey Edgar Prado and then went five wide entering the first turn.

"It wasn't the prettiest trip, especially the first couple jumps," Prado said. "The horse came over and I had to steady a little, and then he tried to get out a little."

Rafting took the lead leaving the half-mile pole and had plenty left to repel the closing Fellowship. He covered the mile in 1:40 while making his first start since finishing third in a 1 1/16 mile allowance event Oct. 17 at Keeneland.

Shipping in from the north for the winter, Full Salute and Bella Flor made successful South Florida debuts by winning the final two stakes of the day.

Morris Bailey's Full Salute bounced back after finishing off the board in the Futurity (gr. I) at Belmont Park with a one-length victory in the $75,000 Buffalo Man , while Bella Flor made a dramatic late run on the outside to win the $75,0000 Hut Hut for fillies.

Based at Monmouth Park for the summer, Full Salute was second in both the Tyro and Sapling Stakes there before winning the Hall of Fame Sept. 26 at Parx Racing. After chasing the pace in the six-furlong Futurity, the chestnut son of champion sprinter Speightstown   faded to finish a distant fifth.

Under patient handing from meet-leading rider Edgard Zayas, Full Salute settled to the outside of leader Cat Tree and then moved up to challenge turning for home, edging away down the stretch to win in 1:11.31 for six furlongs over a fast main track. It was the third win from seven starts this year for Full Salute ($8.40), second choice at 3-1 in a field of 12 for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.

"My concern was the racetrack here, coming from the tracks that we are. He handled it all and did what he was supposed to do," Plesa said. "He had a target today. He was farther back and he relaxed nicely. He wasn't overly aggressive the first part of it, so he's getting more relaxed and becoming the horse that he needs to be to do bigger and better things."

In the Hut Hut, Bella Flor ($21.80) rallied from far back under jockey Mario Pino and needed the length of the stretch to reel in favored Royal Story and get her nose down on the wire for her first stakes victory. Winning time for one mile on the main track was 1:42.66.

"I thought we'd be laying a lot closer with the one-hole, and everybody gunned from the outside and we got buried in," said Tim Girten, assistant to winning trainer Ron Potts. "I thought we were in a lot of trouble turning for home, but when Mario got her clear, she kicked in and came running."

Bella Flor had run her previous three races and four of five over the Polytrack at Presque Isle Downs, where she placed in three stakes including a nose defeat in the Mrs. Henry D. Paxson Memorial Stakes Sept. 20. In her only previous try on dirt, Bella Flor was fourth in the White Clay Creek Stakes July 29 at Delaware Park. The Hut Hut was her first start beyond 6 1/2 furlongs.

"I never rode the filly before, and Tim said to watch her getting dirt because the only time she got hit with dirt, she went back to last and came flying at the end," Pino said. "I got outrun from the one hole and she started coming off the bridle a little bit, hopping up and down. I knew I had a lot of horse, I just wanted to get her clear. Once I tipped her to the outside, she gave me a surge. I thought I had the best horse, I was just hoping to get up."