Aire Bueno Tries to Keep Winning Streak Alive in The Vid
Trainer Chuck Simon calls the 7-year-old gelding Aire Bueno an "honest horse."
He's also a horse on a tear, winning four of his last five starts and looking for his third consecutive victory Saturday in the $75,000 The Vid, one of six stakes races to be run as part of Gulfstream Park's Florida Sire Stakes program. The Vid, at 1 1/16 miles on turf, will be one of two stakes on the grass. The Vid drew a six-horse field, including 2014 Gulfstream Park Turf (G1) winner Lochte, who will be making his first start since January.
Aire Bueno, a Chilean-bred co-owned by Simon and La Estrella, has acclimated to South Florida this spring and summer after hitting the board just twice in his first eight starts after arriving from South America last winter.
"I think with all South American horses it takes them some time to acclimate," Simon said. "He also was sick last year. He almost died last February when he had internal hemorrhaging after a workout. Then we tried him with blinkers a few times. He never came back tired from his races and I figured maybe he was cheating so I put blinkers on him. But he's really the sort of horse who does just what he has to. He protects himself.
"He's really turned into an honest horse, and he's a sound horse. And he has tactical speed so he can adapt to any situation."
Simon also credits jockey Matthew Rispoli for the success of his gelding. Rispoli has ridden Aire Bueno to four wins, a second and a third. "Rispoli has ridden him very well," Simon said.
Aire Bueno's competition will include Crossed Sabres Farm's Lochte, who has earned nearly $800,000 and has won five of 12 starts on Gulfstream's turf. After winning three consecutive stakes last fall at Gulfstream and Gulfstream Park West, including the Tropical Turf Handicap (G3), Lochte was given the winter and spring off after a fourth-place finish Jan 9in the Fort Lauderdale Handicap (G2). After getting time off in Maryland with Marcus Vitali, the 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro was shipped to Gulfstream and trainer Allan Hunter.
"He's doing well and we're right on target," Hunter said.
Enterprising, who returned to South Florida from New York to finish second Aug. 6 in a starter allowance, and Dreaming of Gold, who ships in from California where he finished fourth at Santa Anita June 4 in an allowance optional claimer while under the shedrow of Jerry Hollendorfer, are also entered.
Daring Kathy Goes Long in Wasted Tears
Daring Kathy, an impressive 5 1/4-length winner Aug. 6 of the Soaring Softly, returns Saturday as the likely favorite in the $75,000 Wasted Tears. A field of 10 were entered for the 1 1/16 mile turf event, which includes stakes winners E B Ryder and Pink Poppy.
After a pair of second-place finishes sprinting across the turf in the Bonita and Turf Sprint earlier this summer, Fawkes stretched Daring Kathy back out around two turns in the Soaring Softly and the 5-year-old mare responded with a big win. She has since worked a strong five furlongs Aug. 27 in 1:01.60.
"She's getting really good again," said Fawkes of Daring Kathy, a winner of the My Charmer Handicap (G3) in 2014 and third that summer in the Lake George (G2) at Saratoga. "She worked excellent the other day. She’s training good. I expect a big effort Saturday."
E B Ryder, trained by Marty Wolfson, is a multiple stakes winner coming off third-place finishes in the Soaring Softly and Spook Express. Graded-stakes placed Pink Poppy, a winner in July of Gulfstream's Spook Express, returns to South Florida after finishing eighth July 31 in the WinStar Matchmaker (G3) at Monmouth Park.
Source: Gulfstream Park