Private Jet flies by field, wins Turf Sprint
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On paper it looked like the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes would be all about Great Attack and Little Nick, but, though they both hit the board, it was ultimately all about the South African invader Private Jet. Breaking from post five in a diminished field, the seven-year old gelding stalked the pace from the fourth position before blowing by Great Attack, Little Nick, and Marquet Cat in the stretch run. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee completed the five furlong dash in a blistering 55.48, running the final furlong in 11.17. As fast as the time was, though, it still did not come close to the track record Starfish Bay set in February of 2010; Starfish Bay completed the five furlongs in 53.75. The favorite, Great Attack, checked in for the place; and Little Nick, who set the pace, faded late to finish third. Marquet Cat and Wekiva Wachee ran fourth and fifth respectively. Madman Diaries, McCarty, and Black Diamond Cat were all scratched.
In what I found to be an interesting turn of events, Private Jet, who had been listed as the 4-1 third choice on the morning line, failed to interest the bettors and was sent off as the fourth choice. The Orpen gelding ran on Lasix for the first time and had the red hot John Velazquez aboard. Despite this, however, his final odds were 9.1-1, and he paid $20.20 for the win. Going into the race, Private Jet was a bit of an unknown. Today’s race at Gulfstream Park was his first start in the United States after racing in South Africa for his entire career. Additionally, his last listed race was back in September of 2010. Furthermore, all of his works recorded at Belmont Park were not attention grabbers. With the exception of one work, none of his works were fast enough to land him among the top workers for the distance. His final work in preparation for today’s race was a leisurely four furlong move in 50.09.
Private Jet, who had not raced in sixteen months, had been training at Belmont Park with McLaughlin in preparation for his return to the races. In an interview with the Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch, McLaughlin stated, “We’re very proud of him to run like that after such a long layoff. He had breathing problems and has since had surgery. It’s great to see what he can do when he can breathe.” Today’s win makes Private Jet a stakes winner in two countries since he was already a Group 1 winner in South Africa. So far, no announcements have been made regarding future plans for the Argentinian bred gelding.
Private Jet Cartoon courtesy of Marcy Leonard
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