'Super quick' Lady's Island wires the field in Sugar Swirl Stakes
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Averill Racing LLC and Paul Matties’
Lady’s Island took full advantage of being the speediest of the several quality speed horses in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000
Sugar Swirl, scoring a powerful 6 ¾-length score in the six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park.
While capturing her first graded-stakes victory, the 5-year-old daughter of Greatness provided trainer Georgina Baxter the first graded-stakes success of her career.
"I was so nervous, because I was kind of quietly confident," Baxter said. "She was breezing really good and she’s been training lights-out. We were going to run her in the Claiming Crown, but when [Thinkin] Cowtown ran so good [to win the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash Dec. 7] we thought she handles the grass, but she’s probably better on the dirt.
“She loves it in front. She’s really fast. Everyone always says they have fast fillies, but they’re not going faster than this one. She’s just super quick. And she’s put on all this muscle now, and she can carry it.”
Lady’s Island ($8.60) outsprinted A Bit of Both, the 9-5 favorite ridden by Paco Lopez, and Heavenhasmynikki, who was making her first start since finishing off the board in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), to grab an uncontested early lead. The Florida-bred mare set fractions of 22.15 and 44.69 seconds for the first half-mile before completing six furlongs in 1:10.75.
Meadow Dance closed to finish second under Javier Castellano, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Pretty Greeley, a 70-1 longshot ridden by Sophie Doyle.
Saturday’s front-running score was Lady’s Island’s eighth victory in nine starts this year and her 13th career win.
“I looked at the program and I saw the speed couldn’t beat [Lady Island]," said jockey Emisael Jaramillo. "The horse has natural speed. When the gate opened I put my hands down and the horse took the lead easy. I didn’t worry about the speed.”
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