Gulfstream Park roundup: Power Squeeze scores in Oaks

Power Squeeze came with a steady run down the center of the racetrack to reel in favored Ways and Means approaching the wire and edge clear for a one-length victory Saturday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks.

The 54th running of the 1 1/16-mile race, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) points prep worth 100-50-25-15-10 for the top five finishers, was one of the five graded stakes on the Florida Derby undercard. The win assured Power Squeeze of an invitation to run for the lilies May 3 at Churchill Downs.

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It was the fourth consecutive victory, third straight in a stakes and first in graded company for Lea Farms-owned and Jorge Delgado-trained Power Squeeze ($24), who finished at 1:44.19 over a fast main track as the 11-1 fifth choice in a field of nine.

“We always thought very highly of her. We never felt like she was (11-1). We felt like she was 1-1,” Delgado said. “We felt like we had a really good chance. We believed in the filly, and she responded for us.”

Into Champagne, a stakes winner over Gulfstream’s main track in the Jan. 7 Glitter Woman that ran second to Gulfstream Park Oaks rival Fiona’s Magic in the March 2 Davona Dale (G2), broke alertly from post 5 and found herself on the lead through a quarter-mile in 24.18 seconds with Fiona’s Magic pressing in second and Gun Song between them in third. Centeno settled Power Squeeze in fourth from their rail post.

The half went in 47.86 seconds with Into Champagne still in front, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and Gun Song second and 1-2 favorite Ways and Means in third after making a bold move on the outside with Irad Ortiz Jr. riding. Centeno and Power Squeeze followed Ways and Means and raced by themselves around the far turn as Scalable moved into fifth.

“It looked like there was plenty of speed in the race so that would help us. We had to make sure we broke sharp so we could get position into the first turn,” Centeno said. “I had to use her a little bit today, because I came out real quick, and I didn’t want to get in trouble, so I had to get in there and get my position. But she showed heart and never let go of me.”

Ways and Means wrested a short lead from Into Champagne once straightened for home, the six furlongs going in 1:11.66, but Centeno and Power Squeeze were rolling on the far outside and surged in the final sixteenth of a mile to spring the upset. It was her second win in as many tries over Gulfstream’s main track following a five-length triumph in the one-mile Cash Run on Jan. 1.

“This is a tricky track when it comes to two turns. You have the first wire and there’s not a long stretch,” Delgado said. “She did everything good. She showed the determination to get it.”

Ways and Means, making her first start in 211 days since emerging from a runner-up finish in the Spinaway (G1) on Sept. 3 at Saratoga with an ankle injury, was able to overcome some crowding on the clubhouse turn to finish a decisive second, 5 3/4 lengths over Into Champagne. Gun Song, an impressive optional-claiming allowance winner Feb. 9 at Gulfstream, was a length back in fourth.

“(Ortiz) said the first turn cost him. It got tight in there, he was bounced around a bit, and he got wide. And then when she saw daylight, she kind of pulled herself up to the front, a little premature move. He said he didn't really want to do that,” Ways and Means’s trainer Chad Brown said. “She ran really well. I think without the layoff, she probably could have encountered some trouble like that and still had enough to go, but she had a lot to do today. And then when you add the trouble in the first turn and the wide trip and all, it maybe took just enough out of her to get caught by the wire.”

Scalable, Do Gooder, America’s Vow, Fiona’s Magic and Neom City completed the order of finish.

“She ran her race,” Into Champagne’s rider Julien Leparoux said. “She broke sharp. I thought the first quarter was reasonable. She was relaxed and she made her run. She just got beat today.”

“I had a pretty good trip,” Velazquez said of Gun Song. “I didn’t break as good as I wanted to, but going into the first turn I was perfect. On the second turn, I had to hold my position where I was, and then she kind of leveled off in the stretch a little bit.”

Power Squeeze, who came into Saturday’s race off a 2 3/4-length triumph in the one-mile and 40-yard Suncoast on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs, earned 100 points to seal her spot in the starting gate in the Kentucky Oaks.

“We’ve been thinking about it since November. When she broke her maiden at Delaware, we knew we had a filly that can go very far,” Delgado said. “I believe the stretch at Churchill is going to be really good for her. Hopefully everything comes back in order, and we’re going to plan a trip to go there.”

Il Miracolo finds room to win Ghostzapper

Il Miracolo slipped through along the rail to narrowly prevail in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Ghostzapper Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile, main-track race for older horses that was one of the five graded stakes on the Florida Derby undercard at Gulfstream Park.

Widely billed as a rubber match between archrivals Tumbarumba and Steal Sunshine, it was Alex Andres-owned Il Miracolo ($10.60) who stole the show. The graded-stakes-winning, 4-year-old son of Gun Runner was forwardly placed from the start, closely attending the pace set by X Y Point around the first turn and along the backstretch past mediocre fractions of 24.78 and 49.20 seconds.

Tumbarumba, who was seeking to avenge a loss to Steal Sunshine in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) after beating that rival in the Fred Hooper (G3), made a three-wide move to the lead entering the far turn under Jose Ortiz and was quickly joined by Il Miracolo to his inside.

As X Y Point dropped back, Tumbarumba held the lead at the top of the stretch, but Il Miracolo did not back off under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, fighting back to prevail by neck.

“We had a good trip. We wanted to be close. They slowed it down pretty good, so I tried to make a move on the backstretch. I kind of got head-and-head with the two horses in front, but Jose’s horse kind of put his head in front and it took a little bit to get my horse going again,” Velazquez said. “He had a nice fight down the lane, so I was proud he came back again.”

Antonio Sano-trained Il Miracolo, who finished third behind Steal Sunshine and Tumbarumba in the one-turn Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) on March 2, had a winning time of 1:43.79 on the fast track.

Tumbarumba, the 2-1 favorite, held second, three-quarters of a length ahead of late rallying Steal Sunshine.

“I tried the horse one mile last time, and he ran good. When he came back, we prepared him to run a long distance, and I was confident in my horse,” Sano said. “Both horses are good horses. It was an excellent race. We’ll keep him around two turns now.”

Il Miracolo is graded stakes-placed in five of his last six starts, including a victory in the Smarty Jones (G3) and a third-place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing.

McKulick comes back, prevails in Orchid

Making her first start since the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November, Klaravich Stables’ 5-year-old McKulick prevailed by half-length over Surprisingly to win the 1 1/2-mile Orchid Stakes (G3).

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., McKulick ($4.20) was rated in mid-pack several lengths behind frontrunner Viva La Red before launching a bid in the final turn and holding off Surprisingly’s late rally.

“She waited for me. I let her do her thing, and by the half-mile, she was pretty good and kept going to the wire,” Ortiz said.

It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to La Mehana for third.

McKulick, trained by Chad Brown, was making her first start since a last-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita ended her 2023 season.

“The timing was good,” Brown said. “I like that Gulfstream has this race right here on this big Florida Derby weekend. It’s a good launching pad for some good races that I have ahead for her.”

With Saturday’s victory in the 60th running of the Orchid, the daughter of Frankel improved to six wins in 15 career races while raising her lifetime earnings total to more than $1.7 million.

Kertez gets narrow win in Pan American

Making his North American debut, Kertez got his nose down on the wire to edge 14-1 long shot Harry Hood in the $200,000 Pan American (G2)., a 1 1/2-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey and West Point Thoroughbreds and ridden by Joel Rosario for trainer Christophe Clement, Kertez ($6) completed the distance in 2:24.93 over a firm course. Tawny Port, the 3-5 favorite in a field of seven also trained by Clement, was a head back in third.

Bred in England, Kertez was purchased for $158,604 last fall in France, where the 6-year-old gelding placed six times in group stakes in 2022-23 including seconds in the Prix d’Hedouville (G3) and Grand Prix de Chantilly (G3) for trainer Andre Fabre.

In the Pan American, Kertez raced second to last through fractions of 23.74 seconds, 48.36 and 1:13.23 set by Candidate, winner of the Dania Beach and second in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream last winter, under mild pressure from 25-1 long shot Public Sector to his outside with Tawny Port third along the rail. Rosario was able to swing Kertez to the outside leaving the far turn for the second time in the turf marathon, and came with a steady drive to reel in a determined Harry Hood.

Public Sector was fourth in a tight group finish, followed by Lucky Curlin, Candidate and Street Ready. Starting Over, winner of Gulfstream’s Mac Diarmida (G2) March 2, was scratched.

Clement won the Pan American for the third time, following Gufo (2022) and Flag Down (1997).

“I’ve been lucky in this race for quite a while, and I’m just delighted,” he said. “It’s a new purchase for the stable. We got him at the sale in France and I always liked the horse. He’s a beautiful-looking horse, a very good-moving horse. He was trained by Mr. Fabre in France. I’m just delighted it worked out.

“I thought Kertez was very game. He looked great into the last turn. He was a touch keen early on. When Joel took him out, he finished very well. He’s a beautiful-moving horse. Tawny Port was very unlucky. He was on the inside, a little bit tight, so he couldn’t quite go when he was supposed to go. He had a check a little bit but he finished very well and got up for third. Both of them will be trained with the Man o’ War as a goal.”