Curlin's Approval back from Breeders' Cup stumble to headline Rampart

Curlin’s Approval enters Saturday’s $100,000 Rampart (G3) with a history of excellence over Gulfstream’s main track, over which she scored triumphs in the Royal Delta (G2) and the Hurricane Bertie (G3) during last season’s Championship Meet, as well as in the Princess Rooney (G2) on the July 1 Summit of Speed program.

“She’s a special filly. We look forward to the Gulfstream meet and winning some of the same races she won [last season],” said breeder Happy Alter, whose Alters Racing Stable owns the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin with Bridlewood Farm.

Curlin’s Approval, who has won seven of her 10 starts at Gulfstream, fell short of winning last year’s Rampart, finishing second behind Eskenformoney after setting a pressured pace throughout the one-turn mile. The Kentucky-bred filly went on to capture the seven-furlong Hurricane Bertie from off the pace and romp to an eight-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Royal Delta.

“Seven-eighths, a mile and beyond are her best distances,” said Alter, who had also nominated his homebred filly to Saturday’s six-furlong Sugar Swirl (G3). “At six furlongs she could win, but it’s more taxing on a horse.”

Curlin’s Approval went on to earn a berth in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar with her victory in the Princess Rooney, a seven-furlong ‘Win and You’re In’ event. She lost all chance in the Filly and Mare Sprint when she stumbled badly at the start.

“It was disappointing. When a horse stumbles out of the gate it’s like a relay race with people and someone drops the baton. You can’t recover. You can’t pick it up and recover,” said Alter, whose filly is rated as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Rampart.

Curlin’s Approval has worked sharply for her return to action in the Rampart, perhaps a bit too sharply Nov. 20, when she breezed five furlongs in 56.63 seconds. She came back to breeze five furlongs in 1:00.31 Dec. 2 before tuning up with a 47.55 half-mile Dec. 11.

“Since the breeze she fooled the jock by going too fast, her works have been perfect,” Alter said. “Even though that breeze was fast, she was by herself, off the rail and no whip.”

Luis Saez has the return mount for the Rampart, in which Curlin’s Approval is scheduled to meet six fillies and mares, including St. Elias Stable’s Nonna Mela, a 3-year-old filly trained by Todd Pletcher.

“Nonna Mela is doing really well. I thought she worked very well [Saturday],” Pletcher said. “This will be her first time stretching out to a mile, which I think will suit her.”

Nonna Mela captured the 6 ½-furlong Adirondack by six lengths last year at Saratoga. The daughter of Arch made her 2017 debut at Saratoga in August, registering a front-running 4 ½-length triumph a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance. She went on to finish second in the six-furlong Prioress at Saratoga and fifth in the Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland in October.

Alpha Delta Stable’s Lewis Bay is scheduled to make her first start in more than a year in the Rampart. The Chad Brown-trained 4-year-old filly, who won the Gazelle (G2) at Aqueduct and the Turnback the Alarm (G3) at Belmont last year, hasn’t raced since losing a photo finish in the Comely (G3) at Aqueduct Nov. 26, 2016.

Lewis Bay was also Grade 1 stakes-placed in the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose and Test. Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode the winners of three of the five Clasico Internacional del Caribe races at Gulfstream last Saturday, has the return mount.

King’s Ghost, Lirica, Alpine Sky and Gamble’s Ghost Round out the field.

Source: Gulfstream Park news release