Stormy Embrace Primed for Princess Rooney Defense

One year after a front-end score in the Princess Rooney Stakes (G2), Stormy Embrace will try to defend her title in the $250,000 sprint for fillies and mares 3 and older June 29 at Gulfstream Park.

While Matalona Thoroughbreds' Stormy Embrace scored a 15-1 upset in last year's seven-furlong Princess Rooney, the 5-year-old Circular Quay mare is the 4-5 morning-line choice in this year's renewal as she enters off a 10 1/2-length romp in the Musical Romance Stakes for Florida-breds at the Princess Rooney distance May 18 at Gulfstream.

"She ran very credible and very, very big," trainer Kathleen O'Connell said of the Musical Romance effort, the same race she won last year ahead of her Princess Rooney score. "She's a very, very nice horse."

Six of the seven fillies and mares in the field are entered off races at Gulfstream. The lone exception is Newtown Anner Stud and Mark Breen's Saguaro Row, a 4-year-old Union Rags  filly who has won two straight allowance-type races this year, one at Keeneland and most recently at Belmont Park. Michael Stidham trains.

The Princess Rooney, a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), is one of five sprint stakes planned for Saturday's "Summit of Speed" program at Gulfstream.

Last year Stormy Embrace took advantage of her Breeders' Cup bid but finished off the board in that top-level test.

"She's just as good this year as she was last year. She's a model of consistency," O'Connell said. "She doesn't have to be anywhere (in terms of race placement). She just has to have things unfold. In the Breeders' Cup, they unfolded terrible and I just throw that one out, but she's been a model of consistency otherwise."

The other graded stake on Saturday's card is the $250,000 Smile Sprint Stakes (G3), where 3-year-old Garter and Tie will face older rivals after scoring a 10 1/2-length stakes win of his own: the Ocala Stakes for 3-year-olds June 1 at Gulfstream.

Garter and Tie won a pair of stakes last season including closing out his juvenile campaign with a score in the Smooth Air Stakes at Gulfstream. Early this year the son of Brooks 'N Down stretched out to contest graded stakes—including an off the board finish in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1).

Shortened back up by trainer Ralph Nicks, Garter and Tie finished second in a pair of seven-furlong stakes this spring at Gulfstream before winning the 6 1/2-furlong Ocala. He'll face older horses Saturday, including veteran Royal Squeeze, who has won three straight races including a victory over Garter and Tie in the Big Drama Stakes for Florida-breds May 11 at Gulfstream.

Stidham also will have a runner in the Smile Sprint in DARRS' Proforma, a grade 3 winner on turf and stakes winner on dirt who enters off a runner-up finish in the Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course.

Entries: Smile Sprint S. (G3)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, June 29, 2019, Race 13

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 6:02 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Proforma (KY)	Albin Jimenez	120	Michael Stidham	4/1
2	2Diamond Oops (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Patrick L. Biancone	20/1
3	3Jalen Journey (FL)	Luis Saez	118	Kathleen O'Connell	9/5
4	4Cautious Giant (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	120	Victor Barboza, Jr.	9/2
5	5Garter and Tie (FL)	Jeffrey Sanchez	119	Ralph E. Nicks	7/2
6	6Royal Squeeze (FL)	Jairo Rendon	122	Elizabeth L. Dobles	8/1
7	7Fast Pass (KY)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	122	Peter R. Walder	6/1