Wait No More Breaks Maiden in Dramatic Fashion

Wait No More, a gray 3-year-old daughter of champion Wait a While, took to the Gulfstream Park turf Friday, graduating by 2 1/4 lengths in the 7 1/2-furlong sixth race.

 

Favored at 7-5 in the field of 10 fillies and mares, the Arindel Farms homebred filly chased the early pace set by Tatica for Ever into the stretch before drawing clear under a vigorous ride by Edgard Zayas.

 

“She broke out of the gate well but I needed to ask her to get close to the pace. She’s still a little green,” Zayas said. “She’s a filly who’s going to get better and better.”

 

Wait No More, sired by Medaglia d’Oro, had run only once previously, finishing a late–closing third in a five-furlong turf race at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 12 after breaking slowly from the rail post position.

 

“In the stretch, she was a little slow changing leads, but once I got her to change leads, she picked it up and kept on going,” Zayas said. “I think with this filly, the longer, the better. She’s going to be a nice filly.”

 

Wait No More, who is trained by Marty Wolfson, ran 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:31.2. Tatica for Ever held second under Jose Valdivia Jr., a half-length ahead of Lady Anita and jockey Carlos Marquez Jr.

 

Arindel Farms had campaigned Wait No More’s dam, who was a multiple Grade1 stakes winner with more than $2.1 million in earnings. Wait a While, who was a graded-stakes winner on dirt and turf, was honored with an Eclipse Award in 2006 as North America’s champion 3-year-old filly.

 

Earlier on Friday’s program, Leandro Goncalves, a new face in the South Florida jockey colony, scored his first local victory and 1,493rd of his career in the fourth race. The 32-year-old journeyman, who had captured multiple riding titles at Indiana Grand, Turfway and Tampa Bay Downs, guided Imaginethatmom ($6.60) to a half-length victory in the fourth race, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for $20,000 claimers.

 

“It feels great,” Goncalves said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s like winning my first race ever. I’m in a new place. It’s great.”

 

Goncalves plans to race year-round at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream Park West.

 

Note: International Sound Corporation, which provides the live video production of the races from Gulfstream Park West, experienced an electrical problem Friday which interrupted the broadcast of Gulfstream Park West's races for nearly 50 minutes.