Gulfstream undercard: Olivia Darling is 5th winner for Ortiz

Amo Racing USA’s Olivia Darling received a perfect stalking trip on her way to a commanding 2 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s seven-furlong, Grade 2, $200,000 Inside Information for older fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park, continuing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.’s highly successful Pegasus World Cup Day.

Trained by Jorge Delagado, Olivia Darling broke through with her first graded-stakes victory after closely stalking pacesetter Sassy Nature past fractions of 22.20 and 44.82 seconds for the first half mile before kicking in at the top of the stretch and drawing away to give Ortiz has fifth victory with four races to go on a 13-race program.

"She broke so well so I let (her) be happy and she just kept responding," Ortiz said. "When it was time to go, I bide my time to the quarter pole. There was nobody who moved around me and when I asked her, she was there for me. She did it pretty easy."

Bluefield closed to finish second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of favored defending champion Maryquitecontrary in third.

Maryquitecontrary entered the Inside Information coming off a length victory in the Dec. 30 Rampart, a mile stakes for older fillies and mares. Last season, Rodney Lundock’s homebred captured the Rampart going away prior to a 2 1/2-length triumph in the Inside Information.

Olivia Darling, who ran seven furlongs in 1:23.04 Saturday, was coming off a close third-place finish in the Dec. 23 Sugar Swirl (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

"The day of the Super Swirl she did run good, but she didn’t give her 100 percent," Delgado said. "Maybe she needed the race after the layoff. After that race she has been so much sharper. She has been telling me by all the good signs that she was going to run a good race."

The 5-year-old daughter of Palace is named for AMO Racing USA’s Kiavash Joorabchian’s daughter Olivia.

Tumbarumba wins by nose in Hooper

Amerman Racing’s Tumbarumba fought tenaciously to the finish of the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) to prevail by a nose in the mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up.

Tumbarumba ($18.80) closely monitored a contested, early pace set by favored Hejazi and pressed by Expressman into the stretch before rallying in the stretch to record his first graded-stakes victory, holding off a late bid by Castle Chaos.

Steal Sunshine finished third. Bob Baffert-trained Hejazi, who set or vied for the early pace past fractions of 23.53 and 45.69 seconds for the first half-mile, faded to fourth.

Tumbarumba ran a one-turn mile in 1:36.45 to give trainer Brian Lynch 15 winners halfway through a highly successful championship meet.

The late-developing 4-year-old gelded son of Oscar Performance won the Ellis Park Derby in August before finishing a close third in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park in September. He entered the Hooper off a second-place finish in the Louisiana Classic for state-breds at Fair Grounds on Dec. 9.

Francesco Clemente makes grade in McKnight

Peter Brant’s Irish-bred Francesco Clemente, beaten a neck in his North American graded-stakes debut in November, swept to the lead on the far outside in mid-stretch and powered home a popular winner of Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 William L. McKnight at Gulfstream Park.

The 57th running of the McKnight for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf was the second of seven graded stakes on Saturday's card at Gulfstream.

Francesco Clemente ($6.40), favored at 2-1 in a field of 11, completed the distance in 2:22.64 over a firm course to give jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his fourth victory of the afternoon including impressive debut winner Speak Easy.

Ortiz and Francesco Clemente were unhurried trailing all but 35-1 long shot and 2023 McKnight runner-up Value Engineering as F Five led the way through a quarter-mile in 23.88 seconds and a half in 47.99 pressed to his outside by Grade 3 winner Cellist. The top two were joined by Verstappen midway around the turn after going a mile in 1:36.22 when Ortiz gave Francesco Clemente his cue.

A 5-year-old son of Dubawi that ran second in the 1 1/2-mile Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) Nov. 24 at Del Mar, Francesco Clemente began to gain on the leaders racing widest of all on the turn and came with a steady drive through the lane to take the lead inside the sixteenth pole and edge clear.

Starting Over, sent off at 40-1, edged F Five by a neck for second, with Cellist fourth and Verstappen fifth. Palazzi, Grand Sonata, Rockemperor, Red Run and Catch That Party were scratched.

Though Francesco Clemente did not start well, Ortiz was unworried. “He always miss(es) the break," Ortiz said. "He missed the break with me, he missed the break with (Umberto) Rispoli too, so I was ready for that. So I tried to travel with him and he was responding, every time I asked him. In the middle of the race, he was responding and he kept responding at the end. I was very impressed."

"He’s a serious horse," Brown said. "We haven’t been able to run him that much. He was an unlucky loser the last time out in California. He had a really troubled trip. That’s horse racing. Particularly when you are running mile and a half races on turf, you are trip-dependent a lot of times. Thankfully, he was good enough to go past all those horses and power away. An exciting horse."

Alpha Bella takes La Prevoyante gate to wire

Competing without blinkers for the first time since October of 2022, Don Alberto’s Stable’s homebred filly Alpha Bella led from gate to wire to win the $150,000 La Prevoyante (G3) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Alpha Bella bumped with runner-up R Calli Kim ridden by Jose Ortiz, who was moving up along the rail, in deep stretch, but after an inquiry the stewards did not make a change to the order of finish. It was Alpha Bella’s first graded-stakes victory in six attempts.

The 54th running of the La Prevoyante for fillies and mares aged 4 and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf was the first of seven graded stakes on Saturday's card.

Trainer Todd Pletcher decided to change equipment for the La Prevoyante after the 4-year-old daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify had competed in blinkers in nine consecutive races. She had been competitive in many of those races, compiling a 9: 2-2-2 record, but had not managed a stakes victory. She completed the 12 furlongs in 2:24.25 and paid $19.20 in the La Prevoyante, her first try at 1 1/2 miles.

Under jockey Luis Saez, Alpha Bella churned out opening fractional times of 24.25 seconds for the first quarter mile and 49.03 for a half mile. Tass pressed the pace and began pushing Alpha Bella entering the second turn, but was unable to gain the lead. Alpha Bella reached the mile in 1:37.47 and a mile and a quarter in 2:00.55. R Calli Kim, who entered the race with four straight wins, was second. Anatolian was third.

"It looked like there was a lot going on there," winning trainer Pletcher said after the race. "We tightened it up a little bit, but it looked like we took the worst of it. We got bumped a couple times. I thought she ran a courageous race. The strategy was to go to the front and take it from there. It worked out really well. She’s a filly that’s always been knocking on the door. I think stretching her out is what she’s been looking for."

Heavily favored Romagna Mia, bidding for her third-straight victory, was far back early, crept closer to contention leaving the backstretch and entering the final turn, but never was a contender.