Small Field Faces R Free Roll in Sugar Swirl

By Jerry Bossert



A small but talented field of six fillies and mares is to go to post in the $100,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes (gr. III) from Gulfstream Park Dec. 13.



The Sugar Swirl is one of four $100,000 stakes offered at Gulfstream Saturday, along with the El Prado, the Harlan's Holiday, and the South Beach.



Grade II winner R Free Roll appears the one to beat in the Sugar Swirl for trainer Kirk Ziadie despite not having started since Oct. 4 when fifth in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland. Off alertly in the TCA, the 4-year-old filly was dueled into defeat after contesting the early pace and weakening in the stretch.



Prior to that loss, R Free Roll had won three in a row. She started with the Hollywood Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park April 12, followed by the U Can Do It Handicap at Calder May 31. She notched the biggest win of her career in the $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course July 28.



In the Honorable Miss, R Free Roll quickly got to the front and never looked back, splashing home over a sloppy, sealed track to score by 1 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:10.12 for the six-furlong distance.



It was the seventh win from 18 career starts for the Florida-bred daughter of Rockport Harbor who will be ridden by Edgard Zayas in the six-furlong Sugar Swirl.



R Free Roll will be the starting highweight carrying 123 pounds, and she will break from post 4.



Merry Meadow makes her first start since taking the Sky Beauty Stakes at Gulfstream Park West, formerly Calder, on Nov. 1. It was the third win from seven starts in 2014 for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Henny Hughes.



"I was a little concerned because she'd never run a race over that track, but she's been one that never needs to take her racetrack with her," trainer Mark Hennig said. "I was cautiously optimistic, I guess that's the best way to put it. It looked like a good spot, but you had to wonder if her form would translate on the racetrack."



In the Sky Beauty, Merry Meadow raced in a close third early on before taking command past mid-stretch to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths.



The win snapped a three-race losing streak for the filly, owned by William Parsons Jr. and David S. Howe.



Merry Meadow won an allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack Feb. 7 to begin her 2014 campaign and was fourth in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap (gr. II) two weeks later at Laurel Park. The 4-year-old filly then won the Vagrancy Handicap (gr. III) at Belmont Park by 3 3/4 lengths May 17, her last score before taking the Sky Beauty.



Javier Castellano, the leading rider at Gulfstream Park the past three years, has picked up the mount on Merry Meadow, who will break from post 2.



Multiple stakes winner Risky Rachel drew the rail in the Sugar Swirl, which will be run as race 3 with a 1:33 p.m. EST scheduled post, and is followed out by Merry Meadow, Wildcat Lily, R Free Roll, Centrique and Ol Donyo.



Both Centrique and Ol Donyo are trained by Martin Wolfson.



Excaper and Mshawish are the starting highweights in the El Prado, each carrying 123 pounds in the 7 1/2-furlong contest over the grass.



Valid is the starting highweight in the Harlan's Holiday, carrying 124 pounds in the 1 1/16-mile contest.



Sassy Kitten will carry 121 pounds as the starting highweight in the South Beach, for fillies and mares going 7 1/2 furlongs over Gulfstream's turf course.