Celestine, Suffused Flaunt Class Over Gulfstream Turf

New owner, new trainer—same old Celestine.

The match race on paper in the $100,000 Sand Springs Stakes came to life over the Gulfstream Park turf March 4, with Celestine gunning to the front and having more than enough to turn back fellow grade 1 winner Catch a Glimpse, en route to earning a stylish two-length win in her seasonal bow and debut for her new connections. 

Previously trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott for owner Phaedrus Flights, Celestine was purchased by Moyglare Stud Farm for $2.55 million at the 2016 Keeneland November breeding stock sale and transferred to the barn of Christophe Clement.

The 5-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy validated the decision to keep her in training with top-level form. With both herself and Catch a Glimpse possessing ample early speed, jockey Jose Ortiz gave Celestine a deft ride when he hustled his mount to the lead over her main challenger from the outside post. The duo carved out fractions of :23.95 and :48.25 for a half-mile en route to kicking clear in mid-stretch for Celestine's first triumph since her victory in the June 11 Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T).

"I'm very lucky. She's a top-class mare trained by Mr. Mott last year and she came to us in great condition," Clement said. "I left (strategy) up to (Ortiz). I called him before the race to give him instructions but with two horses with speed in the race, I told him do whatever you want."

Both Celestine and Catch a Glimpse were making their first starts since respective disappointing outings at the 2016 Breeders' Cup. The former finished 12th in the Turf Sprint (G1T) and the latter ran eighth in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).

The Gulfstream surface has been good to Celestine in the past. The dark bay mare broke her maiden there in March 2015 and also captured the Honey Fox Stakes (G2T) last April for her first graded score. Her back class was respected in the form of 3-5 favoritism in the seven-horse Sand Springs field and she ran up to her billing, hitting the wire in 1:34.59 for the mile test over a course rated firm.

Catch a Glimpse, the 2015 Canadian Horse of the Year, held for second after chasing the winner throughout, with Lori's Store third and Always Thinking fourth. 

Celestine paid $3.40, $2.20, and $2.10 across the board and improved her career mark to seven wins from 15 career starts with $885,515 in earnings.

After guiding Celestine to a front-running clinic, Ortiz took a different, but even more visually impressive path to the winner's circle when he piloted Juddmonte Farms' homebred Suffused to a last-to-first, five-length victory in the $150,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T). 

Suffused has steadily raised her game since joining Mott's barn last year, after making her first eight starts in England. The 5-year-old daughter of Champs Elysees has not been worse than third since running fifth in the Orchid Stakes (G3T)—her stateside debut last April—and began her 2017 campaign with a one-length triumph in the La Prevoyante Handicap (G3T) at Gulfstream Jan. 28.

In case anyone missed it that time, Suffused showcased her big kick again Saturday. Sent off as the 4-5 pick in the six-horse field, Suffused rated at the rear of the pack under Ortiz, but was only about four lengths off the leaders as graded stakes winner Olorda went the opening quarter in :22.82 and the half in :47.21 with Quiet Kitten at her hip.

Quiet Kitten advanced to hold the advantage on the final turn but Ortiz had a freight train under him in Suffused, moving up three-wide. With little more than some hand urging and a few showings of the crop, Suffused opened up daylight in a hurry, hitting the wire in 1:51.40 for the 1 3/16-mile test.

"They were going a little faster than I expected. That's why I was back there," Ortiz said. "Today she had a big turn of foot by the quarter pole when I asked her to go."

Quiet Kitten earned runner-up honors over Paige, with Earring fourth and Desiree Clary fifth. Olorda faded to last.

Suffused, who paid $3.80, $2.60, and $2.10, won for the seventh time in 16 career starts and improved her earnings to $629,499. Her first graded score came last Sept. 3 when she took the Glens Falls Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course.

"From where we started last year at this point, she steadily improved throughout the course of the year to where she was doing good," Mott said. "I was curious about the distance today, because it was a huge cutback from a mile and a half. My rationale is that I wanted to see how she would do at this trip, because it gives us some options up the road. I liked to think she is good enough for a race like the Beverly D or the Diana (both G1T), one of those two. We'll just have to see."