Florida Sire Stakes to Resume Saturday

Gulfstream Park will run the second-leg races in the Florida Sire Stakes series, and horses owned by Stonehedge LLC will attempt to follow up on their first-leg victories on Aug. 1.

The Saturday races are the $200,000 Affirmed for males and the $200,000 Susan's Girl for fillies.

Both races are seven furlongs on dirt, for 2-year-olds. 

Both are restricted to Florida-breds whose sires are Florida-registered stallions with owners that have nominated them for the program.

The Affirmed will include Stonehedge's Breeze on By. who on Aug. 1 won the $100,000 Dr. Fager, at six furlongs on dirt.

The Susan's Girl will include Stonehedge's Go Jo Jo Go. who on Aug. 1 won the $100,000 Desert Vixen at six furlongs on dirt.

Gilbert Campbell of Ocala owns Stonehedge, which has won 14 Florida Sire Stakes (FSS) races.

The FSS is sponsored by the Ocala-based Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association, in conjunction with Gulfstream and the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

Entries for the Affirmed and Susan's Girl will be out on Wednesday afternoon.

Affirmed

Breeze On By is scheduled to seek his third win in three  career starts.

Breeze On By, a gelded son of Cajun Breeze, is set to square off against Gatsby whom he defeated by a hard-fought length in the $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager. 

The homebred gelding rushed to the lead from his rail post position, set a pressured pace and battled back when headed by Gatsby to prevail in the six-furlong sprint.

Breeze On By won in 1:10.85 on the track that was listed as Sloppy and was sealed.

Trained by Ralph Nicks, Breeze On By is undefeated in two starts, including a sensational front-running six-length victory in his July 12 debut at Gulfstream. 

Stonehedge and Nicks will also be represented by Seazan, a son of Khozan who broke his maiden in his second career start on the Dr. Fager undercard.

Gatsby, a homebred son of Brethren, finished 8 ¼ lengths clear of the third-place finisher Boca Boy in the Dr. Fager.

He won his April 12 debut, in which he chased odds-on favorite Golden Pal into the Gulfstream stretch before edging away to victory by three-quarters of a length.

The Wesley Ward-trained Golden Pal went on to finish second in the Norfolk (G2) at Royal Ascot, while Gatsby finished off-the-board in the June 27 Bashford Manor (G3) at Churchill Downs. Gatsby rebounded with a strong effort in the Dr. Fager.

The field for the seven-furlong Affirmed is also expected to include Kenneth Fishbein’s Boca Boy and Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa’s Famous Gent, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Dr. Fager.

Susan's Girl

Kenny McPeek, who trains the No. 1-ranked 3-year-old filly in the country in Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and Alabama (G1) winner Swiss Skydiver, will seek dominance in the Florida Sire Stakes filly division with newcomer Raining Sunshine in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl. 

Martin Erin Haught’s homebred daughter of First Dude graduated in her second career start while romping to a 5 ¾-length maiden victory at Gulfstream Aug. 2.

Stonehedge LLC, which has won 14 Florida Sire Stakes series races, will also be well represented in the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl by Go Jo Jo Go, who captured the first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series for fillies. 

The Michael Yates-trained daughter of Khozan closed from last to capture the $100,000 Desert Vixen by 1 ¼ lengths over favored Princess Secret.

Go Jo Jo Go won in 1:11.47 on the track that was listed as Sloppy and was sealed. 

Stonehedge LLC will also be represented by Oh Deborah, a Ralph Nicks-trained daughter of Winslow Homer who debuted with a 3 ½-length victory in a $50,000 maiden claiming race by 3 ¼ lengths July 19.

Princess Secret, a daughter of Khozan owned and trained by Daniel Pita, is expected to try to make amends in the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl. Princess Secret, who debuted May 7 with a four-length victory, finished a troubled second behind highly regarded Papetu while taking on the boys in a July 5 allowance before finishing second in the Desert Vixen.

Arindel’s Freak, a daughter of Brethren who finished a nose behind Princess Secret while checking in third in the Desert Vixen, is slated to return in the Susan’s Girl. Arindel will also be represented by Lyrical, a daughter of Brethren who finished sixth in the Desert Vixen.

Trainer Steven Dwoskin’s Alluramore, a daughter of Gone Astray who finished an even fourth in the Desert Vixen, is expected to run in the Susan’s Girl.

The Florida Sire Stakes series is scheduled to wrap up Sept. 26 with the $400,000 In Reality and the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies.