Gulfstream adds two programs to Summer Meet schedule

Gulfstream Park announced Thursday that two racing programs have been added to the Summer Meet schedule.

Live racing will be conducted on Wed. Aug. 24, and Thurs. Sept. 8, which were previously scheduled as dark days on the Summer Meet calendar.

“We continue to see interest growing in our summer race program,” said P.J. Campo, Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group and General Manager of Gulfstream Park. “While other tracks are reducing the number of live race days, we are increasing our days and seeing a rebirth and rejuvenation of summer Thoroughbred racing in Florida. We appreciative the support we’ve received from fans and horseman. We will continue building summer racing in Florida.”

Concealedwithakiss Romps to Victory with Stunning Ease

Farfellow Farm’s Concealedwithakiss collected her third victory in her last four starts with a stunningly easy front-running romp in Thursday’s third race, a mile optional claiming race.

The 4-year-old daughter of Political Force, who finished off the board in the Princess Rooney (G2) while cutting back to seven furlongs last time out, was never asked for run by a motionless Tyler Gaffalione while scoring by 7 ½ lengths. The flashy gray filly ran the mile in 1:35.92 as the 1-5 favorite.

“That was just a gallop,” Gaffalione said.

Prior to the Princess Rooney, Concealedwithakiss had scored back-to-back allowance victories over Grade 1-placed Kiss to Remember at the mile distance.

“The time I rode Kiss to Remember she [Concealedwithakiss] beat me a nose. My filly ran a big race that day and I couldn’t get by her,” Gaffalione said. “Coming into this race I was pretty confident.”

Concealedwithakiss won the Sorority Stakes at Monmouth in her second career start before making her way into the claiming ranks and being claimed by trainer Luis Duco for $12,500 last Oct. 23 at Gulfstream Park West.

Luca Panici had to work considerable harder to emerge with a victory in Thursday’s featured sixth race aboard Teri’s Big Heart ($5.80). After stalking pacesetter Miss Marianne along the backstretch and around the far turn in the mile turf race, Panici asked the daughter of Scat Daddy for her run coming off the turn into the homestretch, and she steadily got the job done under strong urging  to score by a length over the stubborn pacesetter.

“She always tries hard. The only thing is she has a short kick. I lost a couple times because she loses her focus, but she always tries,” said Panici, who is enjoying an outstanding Summer Meet, during with he has ridden 24 winners since July 1 to rank third in the jockey standings behind Gaffalione and Emisael Jaramillo.

The Steve Dwoskin-owned and –trained 4-year-old filly, who finished second in her last two starts, ran a mile in 1:35.85 over a firm turf course in the $43,000 optional claiming allowance.

Speechify Returns to Main Track for Friday Allowance

Team Valor International’s Speechify, who came off a 6 ½-month layoff to finish an even sixth in the Turf Sprint Stakes on the July 2 Summer of Speed card, is set for a return to the main track in Friday’s featured third race, a six-furlong $44,000 optional claiming allowance.

The 6-year-old multiple-stakes winner has won four of six career starts at the six-furlong distance over Gulfstream’s main track. The Ralph Nicks-trained veteran captured the 2014 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3). Juan Leyva has been given the call aboard the son of Harlan’s Holiday.

Speechify is scheduled to clash with four rivals, including Acclaimed Racing Stable’s Mr. Baker, a multiple-stakes winner who has been on the sidelines since October 2014. The 7-year-old son of Imperialism had won four races in a row after being claimed for $16,000, including the Ponche Handicap at Gulfstream Park West and the Housebuster at Gulfstream back-to-back. He hasn’t run since finishing sixth in the 2014 Phoenix (G3) at Keeneland.

Friday’s 10-race program will offer a $13,593.53 carryover for the 20-cent Rainbow 6 after multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $2,021.44 Thursday. The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10 Friday. There will also be a $6,637.59 Super Hi-5 carryover for Friday's first race.

First-race post time is set for 12:50 p.m.

Source: Gulfstream Park