Mitos Y Leyendas faces Grande Shores, Requite in Parrot Key

In Spanish, his name means ‘myths and legends.’ On Saturday, IAB Stables’ Mitos Y Leyendas looks to join the ranks of stakes-winning rivals Grande Shores, Requite and Yourdreamsormine in the $75,000 Parrot Key at Gulfstream Park.

The six-furlong Parrot Key for 3-year-olds and up serves as a local prep for the $250,000 Smile Sprint (G2) July 2 at Gulfstream, and is one of seven stakes that comprise Saturday’s 12-race Summit of Speed Preview Day program.

A gelded 4-year-old son of Kantharos bred in Florida by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Mitos Y Leyendas enters his stakes debut in the Parrot Key having won four of his last five starts including three of four this year.

Claimed by trainer Tammy Levy for $6,250 last August at Gulfstream, Mitos Y Leyendas has made 11 starts for his new connections with six wins, one second, one third and $116,890 in purse earnings.

“He’s a great little horse. I think he was just a little underestimated before and now he seems to be happy and doing well,” Levy said. “I thought it was the time to give him a chance to take on a little bit more this weekend. The race is there and he’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him so far.”

Seven of Mitos Y Leyendas’ eight lifetime wins have come at Gulfstream, six of them in 10 tries over the same course and distance as the Parrot Key. He was a multiple winner over older horses as a 3-year-old in 2015, though Saturday’s race marks a significant step up in class.

Over the winter, he captured an entry-level state-bred optional claiming allowance Dec. 27 by 6 ¼ lengths, won a similar spot against open company by 3 ½ lengths Jan. 17, and took an open third-level event Feb. 24. Most recently, he won a starter optional claimer April 29 as the favorite despite finding himself in tight quarters turning for home.

“He’s a little bit of a bully. He’s not like a lot of horses that just do what he has to do to get to the winner’s circle, and they just do enough. He does more than enough. He likes to run, he likes the job. If you get in his way or stand in his way, he’s going to push you out of the way and get ahead of you. He just really digs his heels in to get where he needs to be,” Levy said. “He had three straight allowance races in the dead of winter at the Championship Meet, and I thought that he proved that he is a little bit better horse than he was before. Those were solid races with solid numbers. We’ll see. Hopefully he can handle it.”

Jockey Cornelio Velasquez, a winner of more than 3,700 career races that moved his tack to South Florida last month, will ride from post 5 at 117 pounds.

Jacks or Better Farm’s popular multiple stakes-winning Florida-bred veteran Grande Shores returns to defend his title in the 2015 Parrot Key three weeks after making his race debut for trainer Mark Casse in the Bull Gator Stakes May 13 at Gulfstream.

In that race, the 8-year-old son of Black Mambo finished third as the favorite, a neck behind We’re All Set, but was placed second after being forced to check sharply when We’re All Set drifted in entering the far turn.

“He definitely lost all chance when that happened. What else can you say? We have to hope for a better trip next time,” Casse said.

“Obviously I wish the race was farther, but it’s kind of what there is so sometimes you have to play the cards you’re dealt. It’s a little short for him, but I think he’ll be just fine.”

Over his career, Grande Shores has won 15 of 55 starts and bankrolled $602,649. He captured the Sir Shackleton Stakes April 2 on the Florida Derby (G1) undercard and placed in three graded stakes during the Championship Meet, beaten by the likes of X Y Jet, Mshawish, Valid and Stanford.

“He’s a really cool horse. When you take over a string over a string of horses like we took over … it’s a learning thing, especially when you have an old horse like he is. It’s a learning curve but he’s just a classy horse,” Casse said. “He’s been around and he shows up every time. He kind of does what he has to do, but that’s the way those older horses are.”

Elvis Trujillo has been named to ride from post 4 at co-highweight of 121 pounds.

Winner of the Big Cypress Stakes last June at Gulfstream, Limestone Thoroughbreds Ltd’s Requite is entered to make his first start in 10 months in the Parrot Key. Based with trainer George Weaver at Palm Beach Downs, the 4-year-old Warrior’s Reward colt missed six months of training with a severed artery suffered when he kicked a wall in his stall last summer.

Last seen finishing second to Holy Boss in the Amsterdam (G2) in August at Saratoga, Requite had his comeback delayed further when he came down with a fever prior to an anticipated allowance start in the spring. He will carry jockey Eddie Castro and 117 pounds from outside post 6.

Yourdreamsormine, a three-length winner of the Bull Gator last time out; More Applause and Risk Factor round out the field.

Source: Gulfstream Park