Phantom Ro, Soutache, Kingston Pike give Nicks strong hand in Dr Fager

Six recent maiden winners are among the evenly matched field of eight juveniles seeking stakes success in the $100,000 Dr. Fager Division of the Florida Sire Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

 

The Dr. Fager and $100,000 Desert Vixen for fillies, both at six furlongs, kick off the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association’s annual series for 2-year-olds sired by nominated by stallions standing in Florida. It continues with the $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl Sept. 2 and concludes with the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl Sept. 30.

 

Post time for Saturday’s 13-race program is 12:10 p.m.

 

The homebred trio of Phantom Ro, Soutache and Kingston Pike give trainer Ralph Nicks a strong hand in the Dr. Fager. Phantom Ro, owned and co-bred by Raroma Stable, figures to move forward off an educational debut victory July 8 at Gulfstream.

 

In that race, the son of Wildcat Heir hit the gate while breaking inwardly, but recovered quickly to put himself on the lead and draw off down the stretch to win by 2 ¼ lengths as the favorite in 52.05 seconds for 4 ½ furlongs.

 

“It was a good effort. Anytime they win first time out they’re not making a lot of mistakes,” Nicks said. “He got away a little slow and took a little dirt and got himself right back in the race. I thought it was very professional. This is the proper step up from there.

 

“He’d trained good enough going into it. I thought he’d be competitive first time,” he added. “I expected him to be a little faster from the gate. He kind of missed the break a little bit but at the end of the day it was probably the best thing for him, education-wise.”

 

Phantom Ro has had one work since his win, going five furlongs in 1:01.60 July 26 at Gulfstream. In contrast, Soutache shows three breezes since a solid triumph in his July 2 unveiling, most recently in 48.70 seconds for a half-mile July 30.

 

Bred and owned by GoldMark Farm, Soutache was overlooked in his debut at odds of 17-1 and pressed all the way on the lead through sharp fractions of 23.12 and 46 seconds. He took a clear lead into the stretch and had enough left to win by a half-length over Pony Up in 57.98 seconds for five furlongs.

 

“He’s a nice horse,” Nicks said. “He broke from the inside and went straight to the lead and held off a fast-closing horse of [trainer Todd] Pletcher’s. I would think that he would be the favorite over Phantom Ro between the two of them. The timing is great for both of them.”

 

Edgard Zayas has the call aboard Phantom Ro from Post 4, while Jorge Ruiz will ride Soutache from outside Post 8. All horses will carry 118 pounds.

 

Jacks or Better Farm’s Kingston Pike, by Awesome of Course, will be making his third start in the Dr. Fager. He finished second in his debut May 3 and returned to Gulfstream to run eighth June 8, a race where jockey C.J. McMahon lost his irons after they were bumped hard at the start.

 

Kingston Pike spent some time in Ocala following his last start and has had five- and four-furlong works since returning to Gulfstream in mid-July. Luca Panici will ride from the rail post.

 

 Trainer Stanley Gold, who teamed with Jacks or Better to win a record 18 Florida Sire Stakes series races, will send out Arindel homebreds Dunk and Tip Sheet in the Dr. Fager. Both sons of Brethren are coming off maiden wins last month at Gulfstream.

 

Dunk finished third in back-to-back maiden special weights 17 days apart in June before breaking through with a commanding 8 ¾-length victory July 15, running 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.82 and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 79. Emisael Jaramillo, up for the maiden win, rides back from Post 7.

 

“When a horse gets one of the top figures in the country, you know he has a lot of talent,” Gold said. “The first time he didn’t break any good at all. He broke good in the morning, but he hadn’t been in under the gun in the heat of fire. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He got into a race and spotted the field. He came running and got used up. That’s what happens with the babies.”

 

Tip Sheet finished fifth in his first start May 3 wearing blinkers, but Gold removed them and dropped him in for a $50,000 tag July 6 where he stalked the pace before going on to win by three-quarters of a length in 59.49 seconds for five furlongs. He will break from Post 2 in the Dr. Fager with Aby Medina up.

 

“He ran really poor and there wasn’t any reason why anyone would claim him for [$50,000]. He had been breezing great. I thought he was maiden-special and then he threw a bad race. He broke last and was last all the way around,” Gold said. “I took him back to the gate. I had the blinkers on him and he was acting like an idiot and didn’t want to go in the gate. I pulled the blinkers off and he got right in the gate and broke right out, so I ran him without the blinkers.”

 

Rounding out the field are second-time starters Majestic Secret, a maiden special weight winner June 25 at Gulfstream over a field that included Dunk; Little Doubt, who took a maiden claiming event by 3 ¼ lengths June 23 at Gulfstream; and maiden Doctor Chat, sixth behind Phantom Ro July 8.