Five G. (Lauren King)
Vekoma Filly Leads Start to Finish, Earns 100 KY Oaks Points
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gatsas Stable’s homebred Five G, narrowly beaten in her graded-stakes debut last month, returned to South Florida and jumped into the Kentucky Oaks (G1) conversation with a determined front-running 2 ¼-length triumph in Saturday’s $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).
The 55th running of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks for 3-year-old fillies was the fifth of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.62 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race program anchored by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), the country’s premier Triple Crown prep.
Completing Gulfstream’s series of stakes for sophomore fillies at the 2024-2025 Championship Meet, the Gulfstream Park Oaks offered a total of 200 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.
Five G ($4.60), sent off as the 6-5 favorite, now sits at 125 Kentucky Oaks points having earned 25 for her runner-up finish as the pacesetter in the Feb. 23 Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Following that race trainer George Weaver brought the bay daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma back to Gulfstream, where she was a nine-length winner of the one-mile Cash Run on New Year’s Day.
“Thinking about the Kentucky Oaks and the placement of this race and being able to stay here and going to Kentucky just for the Oaks, we liked that a little better,” Weaver said. “She’s been a nice surprise. She was a nice New York-bred during the summer. When I brought her down here, I thought, ‘Wow we might have something here.’ It just keeps getting tougher from this point.”
Five G broke alertly under jockey Manny Franco, named this week to replace the injured Tyler Gaffalione, and settled along the rail in front through a quarter-mile in 23.63 seconds and a half in 47.11, pressed by Anna’s Promise. March 1 Davona Dale (G2) winner The Queens M G, second choice at 9-5, raced in third along the rail, with Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemate Paradise City in fourth.
The top two horses began to separate from their rivals midway around the far turn and Anna’s Promise took her shot at Five G as they straightened for home, but Five G proved too tough and opened up once set down for a drive by Franco, finishing up in 1:43.22 over a fast main track.
Based in New York, Franco last rode at Gulfstream during the Covid pandemic of 2020 when he won four races, three in graded-stakes, including the Florida Derby on Tiz the Law. He was named to replace the injured Junior Alvarado on Saturday’s Derby program favorite Sovereignty.
“It’s been a while but I’m happy to be here again and have the opportunity to ride these amazing horses today,” Franco said. “George told me to ride with confidence, she’s a nice filly. If I end up on the lead, that’s fine, if somebody wants to go use your Plan B. She broke good, I took advantage of that, and I dictated the pace. She was there all the way for me.”
Anna’s Promise was a clear second, 10 ¼ lengths ahead of Cassiar, followed by Whatintheliteral and Paradise City. The Queens M G was pulled up at the top of the stretch with an apparent knee injury but walked onto a waiting horse van and taken from the track. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was unhurt.
March 15 Virginia Derby winner Early On was scratched.
“I told him [Franco], ‘You’ve got to see what the other riders do. She’s probably going to be close to the lead, and I think she can run a very good race stalking, if need be,’” Weaver said. “I was pretty happy when they turned up the backside. She threw her ears up and was relaxed, so I felt like she was going to run her race from there.”
Gatsas and Weaver also campaigned Vekoma, whose biggest wins came in the 2020 Met Mile (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1). Five G now has three wins and two seconds with $390,290 in purse earnings from six starts.
"We're looking forward to going to Kentucky." @CBredar talked to George Weaver after FIVE G earned 100 Kentucky Oaks points in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). pic.twitter.com/M12FM1oQvN
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 29, 2025
Trainer Carlos David was equally thrilled with the effort from Anna’s Promise, despite seeing her two-race win streak snapped. Claimed for $50,000 Feb. 5, she was making her second straight start around two turns and stakes debut, both under jockey Luis Saez.
“I’m really proud of her,” David said. “I told Luis not to take the speed away from her. She has tactical speed. I think we were in a better position this time because we were on the outside versus being on the rail. I said if she wants to sit second, that’s good. If Saffie goes second, then sit third. She ran a great race. I thought before the quarter pole we had a shot. She tried hard. We got some points, so we’ll see what happens from here.”
Run as the Bonnie Miss from its 1971 inception through 2010, the Gulfstream Park Oaks illustrious roster of past winners include Hall of Famers Inside Information (1998), Open Mind (1989) and Davona Dale (1979); champions Banshee Breeze (1998) and Christmas Past (1982); Kentucky Oaks winner Dispute (1993); Swiss Skydiver, who went on to take the 2020 Preakness (G1) against males; and subsequent Grade 1 winners Power Squeeze (2024), Birdonthewire (2015), Devil May Care (2010), Glitter Woman (1997), My Flag (1996), Charon (1990) and Miss Oceana (1984).
