Bluegrass Singer Gets It Done in Mucho Macho Man

Crossed Sabres Farm’s Bluegrass Singer overcame an awkward start to post an impressive front-running victory in $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes, one of five stakes on Saturday’s program at Gulfstream Park.

While outrunning eight rivals in the first major stakes for 3-year-olds of the New Year, the Marcus Vitali-trained gelding took a giant step along the road to the $1 million Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1; March 28).

“We’ll back off a little bit with him now and move forward,” Vitali said. “I think if he stays healthy, we’ll have some fun with this horse.”

After breaking eighth at the start, Bluegrass Singer quickly recovered to take a narrow lead along the rail in mid-backstretch, pressed by longshot Honest and 13-10 favorite Mawthooq. The son of Bluegrass Cat picked up the pace while showing the way around the far turn and into the stretch, posting fractions of :23.10, :44.98 and 1:09.39 for the first six furlongs of the mile event. Even after setting the fast pressured pace, the 2-1 second choice sprinted clear at the top of the stretch under Javier Castellano and continued on to post a 1 ¾-length victory over Ami’s Flatter and jockey Luis Contreras.

“We got the perfect trip,” said Contreras, whose runner-up was sent to post at 13-1 for his return from a debut victory at Woodbine on Nov. 9. “He really ran great for his second race. I thought I might have a chance, but the winner just kept going.”

Mawthooq held third under John Velazquez, another 8 ¾ lengths back.

Stronach Stables’ Devine Aida ran off to a 3 ½ length victory in the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park, increasing her win streak to three and remaining undefeated on the grass.

Devine Aida, a $120,000 purchase as a 2-year-old, had no problem graduating to stakes company in the Ginger Brew, running evenly with the stakes-placed Sunday Sonnet throughout the early stages of the race before turning away that rival at the top of the stretch and running unchallenged to the wire. Nicky’s Brown Miss, already a stakes winner who started in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (G1), closed willingly in the stretch to get up for second but could not make up much ground on the winner. Sunday Sonnet tried to fight back along the rail and ended up a neck behind in third.

Jesus Rios was aboard Devine Aida for the victory.

“She broke and she was nice and relaxed so I was content to sit second,” Rios said. “Down the backside she was real relaxed with me, so when the other horse came up inside of me I let her go. I just gave her little breather and I had plenty of horse left. She’s a nice filly.”

Trainer Ramon Morales, who switched Devine Aida from dirt to turf in her last start at Gulfstream Park West, when she earned a hard-fought nose victory in an allowance, was expecting another good run from his filly Saturday, even with the step up in class.

“I’m not surprised,” Morales said. “First time out, she finished second, and after that she’s just been winning. The second time that she ran, she ran a good time.”

Devine Aida has not lost since her debut effort, when she ran second in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight over Gulfstream’s main track last September. Following that effort, the daughter of Unbridled Song romped by five lengths to break her maiden on dirt at Gulfstream Park West on October 25. But a surface switch was imminent.

“The mother ran on the turf, and the way she ran and the pedigree that she has made it look like she was going to be on the turf,” Morales said. “So that’s why we ran her back on the turf.”

The move has proved to be a fruitful one, and Devine Aida is following in the footsteps of her dam Passion, herself a daughter of Came Home. Passion too began her career on dirt, running third in the Adirondack (G2) at Saratoga before switching to the turf and becoming a multiple stakes winner. Passion won the Alywow Stakes on grass at Woodbine, as well as the La Habra Stakes (G3) over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Morales did not cite any immediate plans for Devine Aida following her victory, but he did reveal he has high long-term goals for the filly.

“For me, if she stays sound, she’s going to be in the Breeders’ Cup in the future,” he said.

Devine Aida paid $9.40 for her win, while Nicky’s Brown Miss returned $5.00 to place, and Sunday Sonnet produced a $3.40 payoff to show. The final time for the 7 ½ furlongs was 1:31.31.

Angel Falls, Cardinal Cove, Image of Rachel, Titanium Jo, Right On Kitten (the 9-5 post-time favorite), and Jersey Jules rounded out the order of finish.

Bluegrass Singer ran the one-turn mile in 1:35.83 to record his second straight victory during the Championship Meet.

Bluegrass Singer was purchased at the Timonium 2-year-olds-in-training-sale for $28,000 in May and was subsequently gelded. He debuted at Monmouth with a troubled sixth-place finish On Aug. 24 before shipping to South Florida, where he has been in the money in six starts, including three victories.

“He’s a nice kind of colt. Well, he’s a gelding. I wish he was a colt. I cut him. You know the old saying, ‘Cut them and hope you regret it.’ Well, maybe with this one we will,” Vitali said. “We had some issues with him that made me feel it was necessary to geld him. I like to keep them all colts if I can, but we’re in the racing game, not the hoping game. He’s matured; he’s blossomed.”

Barbados Captures $100,000 Spectacular Bid with Late Rally

Making his first start for Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hanifl’s Suzanne Stables and trainer Michael Tomlinson, Barbados staged a strong late rally to upset favored Ready for Rye in Saturday’s $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.

“We bought him for the Suzanne Stable, Mr. and Mrs. Hanifl, at the (Keeneland) November sale, the WinStar Dispersal. They were dispersing some of their horses. I loved his body type, his mental attitude. He was very correct, very sound, had a good throat,” said Tomlinson, who acted as agent for the $340,000 winning bid. “He’s just the right kind of horse to buy. He wasn’t cheap, but you’ve got to pay if you want something good.”

Previously trained by Kellyn Gorder for WinStar Farm, Barbados was making his first start of the year in the Spectacular Bid after concluding his juvenile campaign with a five-length win maiden win over a sloppy Keeneland track on Oct. 16. The son of Speightstown had raced twice previously on turf without success on turf. The Kentucky-bred colt found the fast Gulfstream Park track very much to his liking Saturday, as he stalked a fast early pace under Luis Saez before making a strong wide run in the stretch to prevail over even-money favorite Ready for Rye by three lengths.

“Obviously, the race set up for him. This horse is so classy and intelligent, he just laid off them and let the speed go on. That’s what Luis (Saez) and I talked about in the paddock,” Tomlinson said. “When it’s time to push the button, he’ll go. I’m real proud of him. He’s a real nice colt.”

Barbados ran the six furlongs in 1:09.40, built on fractions of :22.03, :44.91, and :57.03. Ready for Rye, ridden by Javier Castellano, held second money, 4 ½ lengths ahead of pacesetter It’s Not Me and jockey John Velazquez.

Although Barbados is by 2004 champion sprinter Speightstown, his trainer isn’t completely convinced that he is strictly a sprinter.

“His body type, physically, he tells you sprint, but the bottom side of his pedigree is Street Cry. He should be able to go on down the racetrack, so we’ll give him the opportunity later on,” Tomlinson said. “We’re taking it a day at a time.”

Source: Gulfstream Park Communications