Madame Uno seeks her fourth straight victory in Powder Break

Madame Uno will have a lot at stake in Saturday’s $75,000 Powder Break Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old daughter of First Dude will seek her fourth straight victory while attempting to win her fifth race for trainer David Fawkes in as many starts and trying to maintain her perfect record over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

Madame Uno is set to meet 10 rivals in the Powder Break, a mile turf event that will be co-featured on Saturday’s program with the $75,000 Miesque’s Approval, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes.

Madame Uno debuted March 18, 2017 with a victory in a $50,000 claiming race on turf at Gulfstream for Fawkes, who owned her in partnership with Melissa Anthony.

“I’ll be honest. When she broke her maiden the first time I was a little surprised,” Fawkes said.

The Florida-bred filly was purchased privately by Jeff Siskin, Arnold Levy and William Fuchs and sent to trainer Phil Serpe in New York. She went winless while racing competitively in six starts for her new owners in New York before returning to Gulfstream Park and Fawkes’ stable for her 2018 campaign.

Madame Uno won at first asking Jan. 28, scoring a 2 ¼-length victory in a starter allowance.

“When I got her back, I didn’t have her 100 percent. I thought maybe she’d need the first race, but she didn’t,” Fawkes said. “I liked her in her second race and I liked her in the stake.”

Madame Uno followed up her return victory by winning a March 7 optional claiming allowance by 8 ¾ length. The 4-year-old filly was shipped to Tampa Bay Downs for a length triumph in the Distaff Turf Stakes over stakes-winning stablemate Surprise Wedding March. 25.

“To me she’s been a little bit of an overachiever, but I’ll take 100 of those,” Fawkes said.

Although all four of her victories from 10 career starts have come at Gulfstream, Fawkes doesn’t necessarily think she can’t be successful elsewhere.

“She ran some big races [in New York], so I don’t think she needs her track with her,” he said.

Jose Batista has been named to ride Madame Uno for the first time Saturday.

Fawkes is also slated to saddle Lipstick City for the Powder Break. The 4-year-old daughter of City Zip, who captured the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park last July, came off a seven-month layoff to finish off the board in an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream April 6 in her first start for Fawkes.

“She’s training really good. I know she needed her first race, so I hope she moves forward. She should. She fits right in there,” Fawkes said. “I think she’ll like a little firmer turf. The turf is pretty similar to the turf at Monmouth.”

Owned by Steve Layman, Will Robbins, Richard Broadbent and Will Robbins, Lipstick Lady is slated to be ridden by Miguel Vasquez.

Mike Maker-trained Susie Bee is set for a return to Gulfstream Park, where the 6-year-old daughter of English Channel has won three turf stakes. Reylu Gutierrez has been named to ride Susie Bee, who is owned by Calumet Farm.

Miller Racing’s King’s Ghost, who is also a multiple-stakes winner over the Gulfstream turf course, is scheduled to make her first start since finishing third in the Jan. 13 Marshua’s River (G3) and also her first start for trainer Danny Gargan, who is slated to also saddle Inside Out, a stakes-placed filly who was nosed out of a win in a recent optional claiming allowance.

Nik Juarez has the mount aboard King’s Ghost, while Luis Reyes has been named to ride Inside Out.

Conquest Hardcandy, who won the Sanibel Island at Gulfstream last year; Island Reward, who finished fourth in the Honey Fox (G3) last time out; Silver Step, who is slated to make her U.S. and 2018 debuts for trainer Christophe Clement; Glory to Kitten, a two-time winner during the Championship Meet; Josdesanimaux and Sylphide round out the field.

A year ago, trainer Michael Maker was preparing Fast and Accurate for a start in the Kentucky Derby (G1), in which the son of Hansen failed to handle the main track at Churchill Downs as well as he got over the synthetic track at Turfway Park to earn a spot in the first leg of the Triple Crown with a win in the Spiral Stakes (G3).

Fast and Accurate will be back on familiar turf Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where he is scheduled to meet six opponents in the $75,000 Miesque’s Approval, a 1 1/16-mile stakes on grass.

One start prior to capturing the Spiral, Fast and Accurate captured the Sage of Monticello starter stakes over five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf. He returned to South Florida in the fall to capture the Nov. 4 Showing Up Stakes at Gulfstream Park West.

Most recently, Fast and Accurate finished third in the March 17 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park, following up a third-place finish in the Feb. 17 Old Man Elegant Stakes at Gulfstream.

Edgard Zayas has the mount aboard Fast and Accurate, who is owned by Kendall Hansen and Skychai Racing.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Hieroglyphics has also achieved success over the Gulfstream turf. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Pioneerof the Nile broke his maiden at Gulfstream last spring before going on to win an allowance and the Better Talk Now Stakes over the Saratoga turf last summer.

The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding ran evenly to finish fourth in his 2018 debut behind multiple graded-stakes winner Ring Weekend in a Feb. 11 Gulfstream allowance.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount aboard Hieroglyphics.

David Caprio’s Uncle B is scheduled to see his fourth straight triumph in the Miesque’s Approval. The 4-year-old gelded son of Zenzational has won all three starts since being claimed by trainer Lilli Kurtinecz for $16,000 Jan. 13.

Uncle B will make a return to stakes company after winning a $16,000 claiming race before going on to win back-to-back starter allowances. He won the 2016 OBS Sprint over Ocala’s synthetic track before finishing second in the Texas Glitter at Gulfstream.

Luca Panici has the mount.