Moment of Delight set for best in Sunshine Millions Distaff Preview

Pinnacle Racing Stable and Norman Stables’ Moment of Delight looks to add to her multiple stakes-winning resume with her first career victory at Gulfstream Park West in Saturday’s $100,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff Preview.

The seven-furlong Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and older is one of seven Florida-bred stakes worth $700,000 in purses on the 11-race Sunshine Millions Preview Day program. The card serves as a prelude to Sunshine Millions Day Jan. 21 at Gulfstream Park, which will be followed by the 45th annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony.

A 4-year-old bay daughter of A. P. Warrior, Moment of Delight will be making her third start since Stanley Gold took over training duties following Bill Kaplan’s retirement last winter. She shows a steady string of works at Gulfstream Park since her runner-up finish in the seven-furlong Added Elegance Aug. 28, topped by a bullet five furlongs in 59.03 seconds Oct. 29.  

“She’s doing good. We’ve been waiting for this spot,” Gold said. “She’s been doing good. She was first and second in two stakes and now we’ll try a third one. We’ll see what she does over there. It’s been a while since she’s run over that surface. She has a history on it but it’s not the same track it was a couple of years ago. We’ll see.”

 

Moment of Delight is 0-for-4 with two seconds and a third lifetime at Gulfstream Park West, finishing fourth after dueling for the lead in last year’s Distaff Preview. She has run at her best on or near the lead, as she showed in a 5 ¼-length romp in the 6 ½-furlong Boca Chica Stakes June 25 at Gulfstream, her debut for Gold.

 

Last time out Moment of Delight broke running and slugged it out through rapid early fractions of 22.53 seconds, 44.64 and 1:08.63 before giving way but tenaciously staying on for second. Eddie Castro, aboard in each of her past two starts, retains the mount from Post 5.

 

“The [1:08 3/5] surprised me when she did that but the win in the Boca Chica didn’t surprise me. She’d been training good, all her works had been good and she followed right through since the beginning. She’ll give another good performance,” Gold said. “She’s quick and she’s anxious and if something doesn’t go with her she’s in front, and if something goes she’ll rate. That’ll be up to Castro. I’m not real concerned. She’ll run her race and we’ll just see if the field is better or worse.”

 

Averill Racing and Silver Oak Stable’s R Kinsley Doll is another multiple stakes winner in the Distaff, having taken the first two divisions of the Florida Stallion Series for 3-year-old fillies, the Three Ring and Jewel Princess, this summer at Gulfstream. Stretched out to a mile in an attempt to sweep the series, she was third in the Meadow Star Oct. 1 in her most recent start.

 

Also entered are multiple Grade 3-placed You Bought Her, second in last year’s Sunshine Millions Distaff coming off an open allowance win at Keeneland; R Girls a Charmer, winless since taking the Gasparilla Stakes in January at Tampa Bay Downs; Sweet Khaleesi, second to R Kinsley Doll in the Meadow Star and Three Ring, respectively; multiple stakes-placed Winning for Sarah and Lucky Switch, as well as Silent Prayer.

 

Co-owned and trained by Gary Jackson, 5-year-old gelding Charlie Mops is slated to make his stakes debut in a field of seven entered in the $100,000 Turf Preview for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles. The 5-year-old gelding has finished worse than second only once in nine career starts and has crossed the wire first in five straight races but was disqualified to second in an entry-level optional claiming allowance Aug. 21. He has reeled off three more wins since then, all in front-running fashion.

 

Uncle Vinny is entered to make his grass debut in the Turf for trainer Todd Pletcher, having not won since being placed first via disqualification in the Sanford (G3) last summer at Saratoga. Little Nick V. captured a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 22, his first win since taking the Juvenile Turf Preview last fall. Rounding out the field are stakes-placed Enterprising and Light the Night, while Dreaming of Gold, Sublime Appeal and Thinkinquality are all coming off wins.

 

Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., who brings back multiple stakes winner Mr. Jordan in the $100,000 Classic, is scheduled to send out 2-year-old colts Storming My Way in the $100,000 Juvenile Sprint at 6 ½ furlongs and Salute With Honor in the $100,000 Juvenile Turf going one mile.

 

Storming My Way enters the Sprint off a 1 ¼-length triumph in a six-furlong maiden special weight Oct. 14 at Gulfstream Park West, his third career start. He spotted the field several lengths at the start of his July 15 debut, then set the pace into deep stretch before finishing second in an off-the-turf maiden race Sept. 3, both at Monmouth Park.

 

“He had kind of an incident the first time he ran. He just kind of dwelt in the gate and came out very, very slowly so we put a line through that race. The next race he finished second and I could have run him up there one more time but I figured he’s a Florida-bred, let’s get him down here,” Plesa said. “He’s going to be a nice horse, whether he’s nice enough to beat these horses we’ll know Saturday evening. He’s better than just a regular horse, I think.”

Also in the Sprint are Cinderela El Crome, Flemish Cap, Red Cotton, Red Crescent, Sweetontheladies, Thanks God and Two Steps Before.

 

Live Oak Plantation’s Salute With Honor was a professional winner of his unveiling Oct. 15, cruising by 2 ¾ lengths going six furlongs over a sloppy, sealed main track at Gulfstream Park West. The To Honor and Serve colt moves to the grass for his stakes debut, having breezed a bullet half-mile in 48.35 seconds Oct. 28 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

 

“He’d been training good so I thought he’d run good, and he did. Sometimes it’s not easy to run on that racetrack for the first time, but it was on the wet and sloppy side, which makes it a little bit easier for horses to negotiate for the first time, I believe,” Plesa said. “He did everything he was supposed to do, and he won. It looks like he wants to stretch out, so we’ll try the turf with him. We put him on the turf for [a] work and he handled it well.”

 

Apache Brave, multiple stakes-placed Front Loaded, Mr. Papillon, Muggsmatic, Squadron, Sunshine N Shadow and Tipsy Kitten are also entered.

William Rainbow’s Surprise Wedding, the Florida Stallion My Dear Girl runner-up Oct. 1 in her second lifetime start, returns in the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint for 2-year-old fillies going 6 ½ furlongs. Lirica, second in the Cassidy Stakes July 2 but unraced since Aug. 18; Lu Lu Laura, who came up a neck short in the Florida Stallion Desert Vixen Aug. 6 in her second start; Wildcat Kate, a runaway 15 ¾-length debut winner Oct. 20; Little United, on a two-race win streak; and maiden winners Brahms Cat, La Zoraya, My Lerler, Prove Me, Rashette and R Angel Katelyn complete the field.

Arindel’s Our Dear Peggy Stakes winner Silva Diva tops a field of nine entered in the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf for 2-year-old fillies at one mile. The one-mile Our Dear Peggy was the second straight win for the Circular Quay daughter, after being promoted from second to first in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight Sept. 3.