I Know I Know. (Lauren King)
Homebred Gelding Enters Mile Turf Stakes Seeking 3 in a Row
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone Racing LLC’s I Know I Know has been enlisted in Saturday’s $95,000 Armed Forces at Gulfstream Park, where the homebred gelding will seek his third straight victory.
The Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds, will co-headline Saturday’s 11-race program with a 12 Noon first-post with the $95,000 Showing Up, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds.
I Know I Know enters the Armed Forces off a Sept. 26 maiden score on turf at 7 ½ furlongs, in which he closed from off the pace with a wide rally to win by three-quarters of a length, and a 2 ¼-length romp in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance on Tapeta Oct. 11.
“It was just a matter of distance. He showed a lot early, but he wanted more ground. The more distance the better he will be,” Biancone said.
The son of Jess’s Dream launched his career facing some salty rivals at sprint distances in his first two starts. He debuted in the May 11 Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong Royal Ascot qualifier on turf, finishing seventh behind Gabaldon, who went on to finish a close second in the Windsor Castle Stakes in Great Britain. I Know I Know came back to finish fourth in a July 13 six-furlong maiden special weight race on dirt won by Rated By Merit, who subsequently earned the fastest Beyer Speed Figure (99) in the country while winning the Oct. 9 Affirmed at Gulfstream.
I Know I Know clearly demonstrated an affinity for two turns when he just missed graduating by a nose in a mile-and-70-yard maiden race on Tapeta Sept. 1 prior to his back-to-back victories.
“He got a little bit unlucky that day he got beat,” Biancone said.
Stretching out around two turns may not be the only factor in I Know I Know’s vastly improved performances.
“We gelded him at the end of the July. We knew he wouldn’t be a stallion anyway,” Biancone said.
Joe Bravo will be shooting for three wins in a row aboard I Know I Know.
Glen Hill Farm’s Bridle a Butterfly, who was unable to hold off the stretch bid by I Know I Know while finishing second on Tapeta Oct. 11, is scheduled to return in the Armed Forces. The gelded son of Country House experienced immediate success on Gulfstream’s turf course in his July 8 debut, in which he rallied to graduate by 3 ½ lengths. The Bethany Baumgardner-trained gelding didn’t have the same success on the Kentucky Downs turf, over which he finished fifth in the Sept. 1 Juvenile Sprint.
Edwin Gonzalez, who rode Bridle a Butterfly for the first time in his second-place finish behind I Know I Know, has the return mount.
Mr. Pug LLC and JPG 2 LLC’s Naughty Rascal will be the only stakes winner in the 10-horse field Saturday, when the son of Rogueish will seek his first stakes win on turf in his turf debut. The Gerald Bennett trainee graduated at first asking over a sloppy main track while winning a five-furlong maiden special weight race for Florida-breds. He came right back to capture the six-furlong Proud Man by a neck Aug. 10 before finishing a late-fading third in the mile Aventura on a fast main track.
Blinkers will be removed from the equipment of Naughty Rascal, who will be ridden for the first time by Miguel Vasquez.
Bella Mia Stables LLC’s Mr. Squeaky Wheels will make his Gulfstream debut in the Armed Forces coming off a six-furlong optional claiming allowance on Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. The Kevin Rice-trained son of Gormley graduated at 4 ½ furlongs on Tapeta at the Erie, PA track June 19 before finishing fourth in the six-furlong Sanford (G3) at Saratoga a month later. Israel Rodriguez has the return mount.
The other six entrants, Arindel’s Tank, Wolf Pack Racing’s Super Sailor, Arindel’s Scarecrow, Team Blessing Stable Corp.’s God With Us, Mark Taylor’s Formulate, and trainer Melanie Giddings’ and Transfiguration’s Carcone, are all coming of maiden wins.
