Gulfstream: Red Carpet Ready aims, fires winner in Bertie

Despite coming off an eight-month layoff, Red Carpet Ready showed up at Gulfstream Park ready to do battle in Saturday’s Grade 3, $125,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes.

Trained by Rusty Arnold and unraced since finishing off the board as the favorite in the July 8 Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont Park, Red Carpet Ready (4-1) received a dream trip under Luis Sáez to prevail in a hotly contested edition of the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares.

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“Rusty doesn’t crank on them much the first race back. It’s a long year. I really thought she might need one,” said Sarah Arnold, who works alongside her husband Rusty. “I’m out there every day, and she does everything you ask her to do. Her mental and her heart make up for so much.”

Owned by Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing, Red Carpet Ready saved ground behind the pace set by Spirit Wind, the front-running winner of the Dec. 23 Sugar Swirl (G3) in her most recent start, and pressed by Olivia Darling, the 2-1 favorite who was coming off a victory in the Jan. 27 Inside Information.

After fractions of 22.41 and 44.66 seconds for the first quarter- and half-mile, Spirit Wind and Olivia Darling entered the stretch side by side. Red Carpet Ready loomed dangerously while swinging to the outside. The pacemakers hung tough thorough the stretch, but they were unable to hold off a rallying Red Carpet Ready, who prevailed by a half-length with a winning time of 1:16.09 on the fast main track.

“Mr. Rusty always does a great job with all his horses. We worked her last time and she did it beautiful. We knew today that the race was not easy, but she always shows up,” Sáez said. “Last time she kind of ran a little bit empty, but after that she had a long time off, and she came back pretty well.”

Olivia Darling edged Spirit Wind by a neck. Red Carpet Ready won her first three career starts, including the 2023 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream, before tasting defeat for the first time while finishing third in the Davona Dale (G2). The daughter of Oscar Performance rebounded with a triumph in the Eight Belles (G2) at Churchill Downs before finishing off the board for the first time in the Victory Ride.

Red Carpet Ready is likely to return in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on the May 4 Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs.