Mexican Triple Crown Winner Tackles Caribbean Classic

After winning the first 13 races of his career in Mexico and sweeping that country's Triple Crown, Kukulkan will take on the top horses from his region in the $300,000 Caribbean Classic Stakes Dec. 8 at Gulfstream Park.

The Caribbean Classic is one of five stakes on Saturday's Clasico Internacional del Caribe card for horses bred or based in the Caribbean and Latin America. It's the second straight year Gulfstream has hosted the event.

Campaigned by Cuadra San Jorge, Kukulkan swept the Mexican Triple Crown races this year with clear victories in the Derby Mexicano, Jockey Club Mexicano, and Gran Premio Nacional. 

The son of Point Determined won the Sept. 29 Clasico Criadores Mexicanos (a regional grade 1 race in Mexico) by 12 1/2 lengths for his fourth top-level win this season. That race was contested at the Caribbean Classic's 1 1/8-mile distance, as was his most recent race—an 11-length score.

(Mexico is a Part III racing jurisdiction in the International Cataloging Standards, meaning the country's grades are not recognized by Society of Thoroughbred Auctioneers sales organizations, but they do indicate the status of those races in Mexico).

Kukulkan is trained by Fausto Gutierrez, who won this race last year with the filly Jala Jala.

"It's a very different situation from last year with Jala Jala. She was 10-1 and a filly with the boys," Gutierrez said. "Now, this is pressure because all the eyes are on him, but this is the position that every trainer wants to have, not just to come and see what's happening."

Gutierrez said Kukulkan has shipped well to South Florida.

"The horse looks good. He's had good adaptation. His workouts have been very nice. Yesterday when he went for his schooling, he was again very professional. He checked everything out," Gutierrez said. "I think he's ready."

Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount on Kukulkan for the first time. The New York-based Ortiz is a native of Puerto Rico, one of the racing jurisdictions represented in the event. A number of U.S.-based riders with roots in the participating racing jurisdictions are competing.

Click here to watch Kukulkan work at Gulfstream Park

Representing Puerto Rico in the race will be El Salsero, who scored by six lengths in the Oct. 14 Clasico Antonio Fernandez Castrillon Stakes (G2) at Hipódromo Camarero. (Puerto Rico is an ICS Part II jurisdiction, which means black type is listed for the top three finishers.)

The Caribbean Classic features three horses entered off back-to-back stakes wins in their respective countries. Sol De Orion won a pair of grade 2 races in Panama (a Part II country) at the 1 1/8-mile distance, Bukowski won a pair of grade 1 races in Venezuela (Part II), and Apistos won a pair of stakes there.

Three other races in the event are for horses bred in the region: the $100,000 Confraternity Caribbean Cup Stakes at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds and older, the $105,800 Carribbean Cup Speed Stakes for sprinters, and the $89,000 Lady Caribbean Cup Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

In addition to those races, the $77,500 Invitational Cup Stakes is a 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds and older who have been imported into the region.

San Jorge's Jala Jala, a 4-year-old daughter of Point Determined, is back for this year's Confraternity Caribbean Cup Stakes, where she'll try to become the first filly to win the event's top race for 3-year-olds and top race for older horses.

"Jala Jala has been very good here. This is going to be a very historical race because she would be the first filly to win the two big competitions—the Derby and the race for the older horses. It is very nice this year. The expectations are good for our stable," Gutierrez said. "She is doing as well going into this race as she was at the same time last year, and now she knows the place better. It's very good."

In addition to saddling Kukulkan and Jala Jala, Gutierrez will also send out Mexican Filly Triple Crown winner Kutzamala for a start in the $89,000 Lady Caribbean Cup Stakes.

San Jorge's Kutzamala, a daughter of Point Determined, won four straight top-level races in Mexico before finishing fourth in her most recent start. She didn't get off to the best start after arriving at Gulfstream Nov. 15.

"She had problems when she came here," Gutierrez said. "She had colic when she was in quarantine, and we had to stop everything for one week. It made us think whether it was correct to run or not, but she recovered in very good form. To stop seven days and have to start again and gain weight and condition is not easy, but she's a Triple Crown winner in Mexico, too.

"I'm sure she'll run very good. She's doing good and happy. Otherwise, I wouldn't run her."

In the six-furlong Caribbean Cup Speed Stakes, Carlos Lee's La Polla is entered off back-to-back victories in her native Panama, including a one-length score Oct. 28 in the Ruben Orillac Alfaro and Ruben Orillac Perez Stakes (G2) at the Speed Stakes distance.

The top two finishers from last year's Invitational Cup are back in winner Coltimus Prime of Panama and runner-up El Kurdo of Ecuador. Rene Douglas owns Coltimus Prime.

Entries: Invitational Cup S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, December 08, 2018, Race 7

• STK
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $77,500
• 3 yo's & up
• 2:46 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Going Strong (KY)	Nicky Figueroa	122	Alison Escobar	10/1
2	2Mishegas (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Jose D. Velez	4/1
3	3Coltimus Prime (ON)	John R. Velazquez	122	Marcial Navarro	3/1
4	4Wildcat Wish (FL)	Manuel Franco	122	Fausto Gutierrez	12/1
5	5Trincheto (ARG)	Jose Lezcano	122	Guillermo Martucci	10/1
6	6California Music (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Alberto Paz-Rodriguez	9/5
7	7El Kurdo (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Chad Summers	9/2