A Bit Special Steps Up in Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Leslie Martin
A Bit Special wins the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park
British-bred A Bit Special successfully stepped up to graded company, taking the $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) comfortably Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park.
With regular rider Romero Maragh recovering from injuries sustained in a spill last week, the daughter of Mukhadram broke well from post 7 and was handled confidently by jockey Julien Leparoux through a two-turn mile on the turf for trainer Patrick Biancone.
"The only sad thing is Romero is in the hospital," Biancone said. "This makes me sad. They ask me why I'm not smiling and it's because the kid is injured. It's tough."
Eyeinthesky broke sharply and led the eight other 3-year-old fillies through fractions of :23.92, :48.36, and 1:12.05 for six furlongs with A Bit Special racing just of the pace to her outside. A little more than midway through the final turn, A Bit Special had a short lead, and coming into the stretch she pulled away easily under a vigorous hand ride to win by 2 1/2 lengths on firm turf. The final time for the mile was 1:35.62.
Off as the favored 2-1 choice, A Bit Special returned $6.60, $3.60, and $2.60 across the board. Regal Glory got up for second with La Feve 1 3/4 lengths behind in third.
"She had a good trip. She broke good. She went easy all the way," Leparoux said. "She's a nice filly. She has good tactical speed and a good finish—that's what you need with those big horses.
"I just have to mention about Romero. I feel bad for him. He's a young kid who will come back stronger, but we all think about him. The surgery went good, so that's the most important."
A Bit Special was purchased from the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale for $94,360 by Wavertree Stables, who then offered her during Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale. However, she went unsold at a final bid of $70,000.
She now owns a record of four wins and a second from five starts.
Earlier on the card, A Thread of Blue put in a repeat wire-to-wire performance to win the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes for 3-year-olds going one mile on the turf.
"He's very fast. He put me in that position," jockey Luis Saez said. "I was there pretty easy and, man, when he came to the stretch he just took off. He did everything right."
Trained by Kiaran McClaughlin for Leonard Green, the Hard Spun colt came off a similar effort in a Dec. 22 allowance optional-claiming race going 1 1/16 miles over the same course. A Thread of Blue took his Oct. 7 maiden victory in the same frontrunning manner at Belmont Park.
Of the three other starts where he did not get to the lead, he finished third in the Nov. 4 Awad Stakes, and second and sixth in two maiden-level races.
In the Dania Beach, Louder Than Bombs finished second, while last year's Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3T) winner Current closed well to get third.
Video: Dania Beach S. (BT)