Southern Barbecue Smokes Rivals at Gulfstream
Jacks or Better Farm’s Southern Barbecue, a full brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Jackson Bend, returned from a seven-month layoff to win his sophomore debut in Sunday’s sixth race, a mile allowance on the main track.
Sent to the lead from the inside post by apprentice Tyler Gaffalione, Southern Barbecue dueled with St. George Stable’s Divine Energy in the early stages of the race, setting fractions of 23.55 seconds for the first quarter and 46.86 seconds for a half-mile. After three-quarters of a mile, Divine Energy retreated, but Southern Barbecue went on, while Carson Spring Farm’s Heart Stopper also joined the fray. While it appeared Heart Stopper might take over the lead, Southern Barbecue had something left, and the colt surged ahead of his rival, striding out in the stretch to a 1 ¼-length victory. The final time was 1:36.05.
Winning
trainer Stanley Gold was admittedly surprised at the colt’s strong
performance when returning from his extended vacation.
“Coming
into the stretch, he was doing everything right. I was just afraid he
was going to weaken and get tired,” Gold said. “I wasn’t 100 percent
sure that I was able to do enough with him [coming into the race]. He’s
kind of a lazy horse in the morning, and he doesn’t want to train a lot,
and he does what you want him to do with resentment. He’s just not
really aggressive, so I figured he’d start to get a little tired and
say, ‘Well, maybe next time.’ I was waiting for Edgar Prado’s horse
(post-time favorite Abounding Legacy, who finished third) to just blow
by, but he wanted to win.”
A 3-year-old son of Hear No Evil and the Tabasco Cat mare Sexy Stockings, Southern Barbecue had not run since finishing 11th
in the Florida Sire Stakes In Reality division last October as a
2-year-old, the colt’s stakes debut. He registered his maiden-breaking
victory in his previous race, scoring by a neck in a 6-furlong maiden
special weight on August 31 in his fourth career start.
Following a five-race freshman campaign, trainer Stanley Gold sent the chestnut to be turned out in Ocala.
“We
gave all the 2-year-olds off after the season was over,” Gold said. “It
was just time to give them all a break, see who grows up, see who
matures. With this one, it might have worked.”
“He
showed last year that he just didn’t really want to be rushed,” he
added. “He didn’t want to run too short, and the mile wasn’t the
problem. It’s just off a long layoff, running a mile, I wasn’t sure, but
he pleasantly surprised me, and he should run better next time.”
Although
Southern Barbecue and Jackson Bend share the same parents, Gold said
there are few similarities between the two siblings outside of lineage.
Jackson Bend earned his two Grade 1 victories in the Forego and Carter
stakes, both one-turn 7-furlong contests, but Gold thinks Southern
Barbecue will be better going longer.
“I
think he would rather go long, and two turns would be it,” Gold said.
“Jackson Bend ran well in the Preakness (He finished third in the 1 3/16
mile classic in 2010), but he made his reputation running one turn and
finishing strong, so they’re kind of different like that. There are a
lot of differences, but hopefully he’s got Jackson’s heart, he’s matured
upstairs, and there are good things to come.”
Gold
said he has not mapped out a schedule for Southern Barbecue, but if he
continues to do well, the colt will likely be pointed toward the Florida
Sire Stakes 3-year-old series in Hallandale this summer.
“I
haven’t really thought about, but certainly we’re going to run as many
as we can to support the program if they show that they belong in
there,” Gold said. “They’re all eligible for it, and that’s where they
should go if they’re good enough.”
Southern
Barbecue, sent off at odds of 17-1, returned $36.00 to win, while Heart
Stopper paid $13.60 to place, and Abounding Legacy’s show paid $2.10.
Party Crasher, Wild Force, Divine Energy, and Rome Burned completed the
order of finish.
Source: Gulfstream Park