McLaughlin's patience 'paid us back' with Dream Pauline in Sugar Swirl
Stonestreet Stables LLC’s Dream Pauline, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and ridden by Javier Castellano, gamely held off stretch rally by Stormy Embrace to win Saturday's Grade 3 $100,000 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park.
A lightly-raced 3-year-old filly by Tapit, Dream Pauline covered the six furlongs in 1:11.10.
"It’s such an important win for this filly with her pedigree and the connections, to win for Barbara [Banke] and Stonestreet, so it was a huge win," McLaughlin said.
A winner of the Dream Supreme Stakes at Churchill Downs Nov. 4 after winning an allowance race at Saratoga over the summer, Dream Pauline was rated second by Castellano behind Surprise Wedding, who went the opening quarter in :22.73 and the half in :46.26. After taking the lead entering the stretch, Dream Pauline held off Stormy Embrace, winner earlier this year of the Princess Rooney (G2) at Gulfstream.
Dream Pauline returned $5.40.
“We decided to give her a little time off, little issues but she’s just been a little bit unlucky not to run a little more often," McLaughlin said. "She got sick right before the Prioress and she’s been lucky but today we were lucky and it paid us back."
McLaughlin said Dream Pauline could race next in the Jan. 26 Hurricane Bertie on the Pegasus World Cup (G1) undercard.