World of Trouble Dominates Off-the-Turf GP Turf Sprint
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Photo: Joe DiOrio
World of Trouble wins the off-the-turf Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables' World of Trouble didn't get his rematch with champion Stormy Liberal when the $150,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes was taken off the grass because of soggy conditions Jan. 26, but he put on an impressive performance nonetheless.
Second choice Recruiting Ready pressed the 4-year-old Kantharos colt for as long as he could but couldn't keep up. World of Trouble didn't break perfectly in the scratch-shortened field of five but still found his way to the front under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., set fractions of :22.18 and :44.37 on the sloppy (sealed) main track, and easily kicked away to win under wraps.
The Jason Servis trainee finished the five furlongs in :56.44, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Recruiting Ready, who came in 3 3/4 lengths clear of Belle Tapisserie in third.
After the race, Servis said World of Trouble presented some difficulties before he got out to the track but found a way to persevere.
"We couldn't get bandages on him behind," Servis said. "I mean, the whole thing coming to the race, I really wasn't thrilled about. And he was just doing OK. So getting it done, man, was gratifying. He ran on no toe grabs. I was happy with the mud, but he's not an easy horse to deal with. We had a hard time getting the bridle on him and the back bandages."
It was the second straight sloppy stakes win for World of Trouble, who took the FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 15. Prior to that, he won two turf sprint stakes in New York before missing by a neck to Stormy Liberal in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T). Stormy Liberal was scratched early Saturday along with Oak Bluffs and Pay Any Price when Gulfstream Park management moved the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint off the grass course.
Bred in Florida by Darsan, out of the Valid Expectations mare Meets Expectations, World of Trouble now has six wins from 10 starts and $671,400 in earnings.
Two races later, Gainesway Stable's Cherry Lodge took the off-the-turf Ladies' Turf Sprint Stakes, also in frontrunning fashion, by 1 3/4 lengths. The Todd Pletcher-trained Bernardini mare earned her first stakes win when she hit the wire in :57.10 for five furlongs under jockey Jose Ortiz.