Rymska One to Beat in Suwannee River Stakes

Madaket Stables, Tom Coleman, Team Hanley, and Norton Herrick's multiple graded stakes winner Rymska will be the horse to beat when she kicks off her 5-year-old campaign in the $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes (G3T) Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Suwannee River for older fillies and mares co-headlines a 12-race program that includes the $100,000 El Prado Stakes for 4-year-olds and up sprinting 7 1/2 furlongs, also over the turf course.

Bred in France by Eric Feurtet, Rymska will be making her ninth start since coming to the United States in the fall of 2016. Trainer Chad Brown will be looking to claim his fourth title in the Suwannee. Brown won the race with Elysea's World in 2018, Tammy the Torpedo in 2016, and Tottie in 2010.

Rymska started just three times in 2018. After finishing second in an optional-claiming allowance race at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 31, the daughter of Le Havre gave Brown his third straight victory in the Oct. 21 Athenia Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park. She ended the year with a sixth-place run in the Matriarch Stakes (G1T) Dec. 2 at Del Mar.

"Unfortunately, she's had some gaps in her racing due to some minor injuries here and there, but the ownership group has been very patient every time we've rested her to get her right," Brown said. "When she is right, she's very good."

Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the call from post 4.

Emory Hamilton's homebred Special Event will be seeking her first stakes win in the Suwannee. The 5-year-old Arch mare has placed in three graded stakes for trainer Shug McGaughey, most recently closing from well back to be third in the one-mile My Charmer Stakes (G3T) Dec. 15 at Gulfstream.

"I thought her race here was really, really good the last time she ran," McGaughey said. "Irad, he thought maybe if he knew her a little bit better, it could have been even better. Going a little bit farther, I think, is going to help her."

            

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will partner with Special Event from post 2.

Another horse to watch will be Tall Oaks Farm homebred Avie's Mineshaft. Raced exclusively in her native Canada, the 4-year-old made two of her past three starts on grass after making her first seven over Woodbine's synthetic surface. She enters the race off a runner-up finish in the Carotene Stakes Oct. 20 at Woodbine. 

"After her last race at Woodbine, we turned her out for three or four weeks just to freshen her up and then brought her right into Palm Meadows and sort of had this race in mind to sort of start her campaign for this year," trainer Josie Carroll said. "We'll see. It's always tough to win a race here."    

Later on Saturday's card, trainer Ian Wilkes will saddle Turf Stable's Mr Cub in the El Prado. The 5-year-old gelded son of Artie Schiller enters the 13-horse race off a close second-place finish to Bricks and Mortar in a Dec. 22 optional-claiming allowance race at Gulfstream. Bricks and Mortar went on to win the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Gulfstream Jan. 26. 

"The horse was doing great going into the race. Actually, for a moment I thought he was going to hold that horse off," said Wilkes. "He's a pretty nice horse, Bricks and Mortar."

Bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Mr Cub finished second in the Tropical Park Derby during the 2017 championship meet. Chris Landeros has the return mount.

"He's getting better with age, this horse," Wilkes said. "He's a cool horse to be around. I think he's improving. I don't think you've seen the best of him."

KCA Stables' Cowboy Culture also enters the El Prado in sharp form, having captured a starter optional claimer in his first start of the championship meet and first for trainer Norm Casse.

Claimed out of a second-place finish in a $40,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs Nov. 8, the 5-year-old son of Quality Road  is a graded stakes winner. He took the 2017 Arlington Classic Stakes (G3T) before capturing the $200,000 Centaur Stakes at Indiana Grand Race Course & Slots. Robby Albarado has the mount in the El Prado from post 11.        

"He's the type of horse we were looking for and have been successful with—a higher-priced horse that's got some serious back class," Casse said. "More importantly, he looked like a horse that would especially appreciate Gulfstream's turf course and the middle distances that they offer here."

Trainer Michael Maker entered three horses in the El Prado: Hembree and Vici, who are owned by Three Diamonds Farm, and Freddie Lewis III's Swagger Jagger.

Hembree won the six-furlong Nearctic Stakes (G2T) over Woodbine's turf course three starts back before finishing off the board in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Nov. 3 at Churchill. 

Vici has run in four straight graded stakes. Swagger Jagger finished fourth in the Millions Turf Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West last time out.