Cloe takes the Melody of Colors in her first start on grass (Lauren King)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Lugamo Racing Stable’s Cloe, put on the grass for the first time in her debut for trainer Jose D’Angelo, showed a fast affinity for the surface with a front-running 1 ¾-length victory in Sunday’s $115,000 Melody of Colors at Gulfstream Park.
The 10th running of the five-furlong Melody of Colors for 3-year-old fillies headlined a 10-race program that closed the penultimate weekend of the 2024-2025 Championship Meet.
Ridden by jockey Luis Saez, Cloe ($12.60) completed the distance in 54.83 seconds over a firm course to earn her second win from three starts, all this year, the first two for previous trainer Victor Barboza Jr.
“I really liked this filly since she arrived at the barn. I think she’s special,” D’Angelo said. “I spoke with the owner and we had plenty of options. I worked her two times, one time on the dirt and one time on the grass, and I said she’s definitely grass. That’s why we decided to go into this race, and she responded very well.”
Hustled to the front by Saez, Cloe cruised through a quarter-mile in 21.32 seconds pressed to her outside by 2-1 favorite Me Governor, a stakes-winner on the Aqueduct turf last fall making her season debut. The half went in a brisk 43.19 but Cloe had plenty left and opened up in mid-stretch to a comfortable decision.
“The filly, when she won first time out when she broke her maiden, she gave me good tactical speed and broke from there pretty good,” Saez said. “Today, she did the same. She broke from there pretty nice and took the lead. I had a lot of horse.”
Me Governor held second, followed by Laurice, Make Haste, Le Amazonia, Origami, Dare to Breeze and Thankfully. Grade 3 winner Abientot and Shesinamood were scratched.
An $80,000 daughter of 2020 Florida Derby (G1), Belmont (G1), Travers (G1) and Holy Bull (G3) winner Tiz the Law, Cloe went unraced at 2 and debuted with a 5 ¾-length maiden special weight triumph sprinting 5 ½ furlongs Jan. 8 on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course. She ran sixth in the one-mile, 40-yard Suncoast Feb. 8 at Tampa Bay Downs before joining D’Angelo.
“I didn’t know how fast she can be on the grass because on the Tapeta she went in [22.86 seconds], but I felt that she could be faster on grass. I told Luis to get a good start and just see where she wants to go,” D’Angelo said. “We’re going to see how she comes back and make plans for her, but I’m sure she has a very bright future.”
