Luzzi gets First Stakes Win Aboard Diamond Bachelor in The Vid

Diamond Bachelor, who had not won a race since the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf in 2013, carried apprentice jockey Lane Luzzi to his first stakes win Saturday by going wire-to-wire to win the $75,000 The Vid at Gulfstream Park.

A 5-year-old gelded son of War Front, who sold for $570,000 as a juvenile, Diamond Bachelor covered a firm 1 1/16 mile course in 1:41.98. Enterprising rallied for the place and Aire Bueno finished third. The multiple-stakes winner Lochte, making his first start since January, checked in fourth.

Luzzi, who moved his tack to South Florida from Maryland earlier in the year, said after setting fractions of :24.55, :48.53, 1:12.05 and 1:35.72 that he was confident going into the race.

"I've ridden a few stakes to this point but this is the first time I was confident going into one," Luzzi said. "I know this horse well. I went out there and was confident on him, rode him like he likes to be ridden. The plan was go to the front and slow it down as much as we can. Once he switches leads on the turn he's a different horse. We wanted to get him a little breather and then let him run again."

Diamond Bachelor returned $33.

Florida Sire Stakes Double for R Kinsley Doll

R Kinsley Doll ($4.40) put in another strong late rally to notch her second consecutive victory in the $150,000 Florida Sire Stakes. The 3-year-old daughter of champion Big Drama scored a month ago going six furlongs in the $150,000 Three Ring division of the Florida Sire Stakes, and was favored to repeat that effort in the seven-panel Jewel Princess.

Breaking from the outside under Tyler Gaffalione, R Kinsley Doll came away well and settled into third as Ballet Diva showed the way along the rail. Ballet Diva turned for home with the advantage, but Gaffalione got to work aboard R Kinsley Doll in midstretch, and the Florida-bred filly surged late to prevail by a neck. Her final time for the seven furlongs 1:24.75. It was 1 3/4 lengths back to She’s Incredible in third.

R Kinsley Doll is owned by the partnership of Averill Racing LLC and Silver Oak Stable, and was named in honor of Richard Averill’s young daughter Kinsley. 

“This might be the first time it ever worked out,” Averill quipped in the winner’s circle. “We’ve named a bunch after our daughters and it hasn’t been a pleasant thing. It’s an awesome feeling to have the whole family here, friends, and to win with a horse named after my daughter and to have her be here, that probably doesn’t happen to too many people.”

Though confident R Kinsley Doll would give a good account of herself, Averill admitted to a few anxious moments in the stretch.

“I needed her to switch leads,” he said. “The last time when she switched leads she had another gear, and when she finally did it was all good. The speed today has been holding so i was a little nervous there about that. That Ballet Diva is a nice filly and I knew that she wasn’t going to put in a clunker like she did last time. I just told Tyler, ‘Ride your race, sit back, make that one run,’ and he did. Tyler’s great.”

The Jewel Princess victory was R Kinsley Doll’s third success in nine starts, and took her earnings to $238,085. 

Source: Gulfstream Park