Florida Favorite Tackleberry Resumes Training

Owner-trainer Luis Olivares reports that his popular 6-year-old gelding Tackleberry has begun training on the farm in Ocala and will be shipped to him at Calder next week to continue preparation for a 2013 campaign expected to commence at Gulfstream Park.

“He doesn’t take long to get ready, so I would think he’ll be ready to run here later in the meet,” said Olivares, who sent out Rosa Stephany Taveras’ 3-year-old Sr. Quisqueyano to finish second in Tuesday’s $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby.

A Florida-bred by Montbrook, Tackleberry built up a strong fan following when posting three straight stakes victories at Gulfstream early in 2011, beginning with the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Classic before scores in the Gulfstream Sprint Championship (G2) and Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2).

Tackleberry ran only twice in 2012, beginning with a game runner-up effort behind Mucho Macho Man in the Gulfstream Park Handicap in March with Jackson Bend third and a fourth-place try last out as the favorite in the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G2) in West Virginia on Apr.14.

Tackleberry will return to the races with a career record of 16-8-3-0 for earnings of $914,600.