The winter racing season is in full swing and while the number of Canadians who have headed south is understandably much lower than in past years, there are still a few who have stabled in Florida and others who have sent horses to trainers who have shipped to the south.
Ivan Dalos’ Golden Ami steps into graded-stakes company Saturday, Dec. 12, in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream. The exciting 4-year-old filly trained by Josie Carroll won her career debut at Gulfstream in March by 6 lengths but then went to the sidelines. She reappeared at Woodbine Nov. 14 and steamed to a 5 1/2 lengths win with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in allowance company.
The daughter of Goldencents is a half-sister to graded-stakes winners Amis Flatter and Amis Gizmo.
Tyler Gaffalione is slated to ride the Ontario-bred filly for the first time in the Sugar Swirl.
Her competition is formidable. Sound Machine, a $500,000 daughter of Into Mischief, is already a stakes winner and graded stakes placed and among the litany of speedballs in the field is Lady’s Island, who won the Sugar Swirl in 2019.
The Sugar Swirl, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, is one of five stakes (four graded) on Saturday’s program that will be headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale, a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 23.
Trainer Roger Attfield sends out Art of Almost in the $75,000 My Charmer Stakes, race 8 on the Gulfstream card. The 4-year-old filly was stakes placed at Woodbine in her last two starts on Tapeta.
Trainer Bill Tharrenos, who has already started horses at Gulfstream this past week and claimed a filly for Frank Russo on Thursday (Divine Martha for $20,000) will send out Steven Chircop trainee Sweet Yare N Dira on Sunday Dec. 13.
Chircop’s own Coastal Highway and No Question are racing this evening, Friday, at Penn National.
Nick Gonzalez has two lightly-raced maidens in action on Sunday for Gabe Grossberg and Mike Coll.
*Colebrook Farms have horses racing at Mahoning Valley with trainer Joseph Poole. The stable has two horses racing in the coming days and won with Im No Saint (We Miss Artie) on Dec. 8.
*Trainer Kevin Attard, whose large stable collected 43 wins in 2020 including the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile with the now-retired Starship Jubilee, will not be going to Florida this winter. Attard has set up his winter stable at former Gardiner/Winview Farm in Caledon East.
Recently operated by Joe Guerrieri, the famous Gardiner complex was recently taken over by Robin Singh, owner of Trinity Racing Stable.
*Woodbine’s leading rider Rafael Herndandez has 16 mounts over the weekend at Hawthorne racetrack in Chicago. Hernandez won two races at the track on Dec. 6.
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