Steal Sunshine (#3) battles Tumbarumba in the 2024 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2). (Coglianese)
Training Forwardly at Gulfstream as Next Race Nears
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.– Before his comeback race last month, it had been a long time between grass starts for Grade 2 winner Steal Sunshine, more than 3 ½ years in fact, not that trainer Bobby Dibona hadn’t thought about going back to the turf at some point.
The opportunity came in mid-June when the 6-year-old Steal Sunshine closed to be second, beaten a neck, in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park. It marked his first start following a fourth-place finish in the Godolphin Mile (G2) April 5 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, and first on the grass since running eighth in his Dec. 5, 2021, unveiling.
“I debuted him on the turf because I thought he was a turf horse. It wasn’t that it was a bad race, or that he hated the turf, it was just the first race of his life. Then I moved him to the dirt and when he won like he did, I didn’t see reasons to go back to the grass,” Dibona said. “We went and did our thing and did a lot of good stuff, but we always were wondering about the grass.”
Steal Sunshine made his next 28 starts on the dirt, including a sixth-place finish behind White Abarrio in the 2022 Florida Derby (G1). Later that year he won Gulfstream’s Carry Back and the Ellis Park Derby and was third in the Mr. Prospector (G3). In 2023 he was third in the Iselin (G3) and Sir Shackleton, and last year he sandwiched a win in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) between thirds in the Fred Hooper (G3) and Ghostzapper (G3).
During the 2024-2025 Championship Meet Steal Sunshine ran three times, finishing third in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3), sixth to record-setting White Abarrio in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and second in defense of his Gulfstream Park Mile title behind subsequent Churchill Downs (G1) and Stephen Foster (G1) winner Mindframe.
“We know we’ve got one of the top horses in the country. I’d like to keep him on the turf right now off of that last performance, so I’m kind of leaning in that direction,” Dibona said. “I always considered him a turf horse, so I thought his last race was really, really good. We’re looking to build off that. I needed a prep race as we figure out his plans for the summer. I always like going turf to dirt as a trainer, so we ran him in there and, wow, it was a pretty strong performance.”
Owned by the partnership of Michael and Jules Iavarone, breeder Carrie Brogden, Kevin Pollard, Ed Gorry and David Menard, Steal Sunshine is being pointed to either the Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile Aug. 2 or Preview Turf Cup Aug. 3 at Ellis Park, the latter going 1 ¼ miles. Both races earn the winner automatic berths to $2.5 million stakes Sept. 6 at Kentucky Downs.
“He just got beat on the wire in what might have been one of his best races, coming off the bench from Dubai and on the turf and everything. It was amazing,” Dibona said. “He ran really big and we’re really excited. He worked tremendous the other day again and it looks like we’re gearing up now.”
Steal Sunshine continues to train forwardly on the main track at Gulfstream, turning in a half-mile move in 47.44 seconds June 28 to rank fourth of 78 horses, and going five furlongs in 59.76 seconds July 5, the fastest of 25 horses.
“He’s really doing good. He’s actually working uncharacteristically quicker than normal,” Dibona said. “He finishes big. He’s got an unbelievable move when he gets in gear.”
Steal Sunshine will do all his preparations at Gulfstream before heading to Kentucky. Overall, he has a record of 7-4-7 with $760,860 in purse earnings from 29 starts.
“I’ll train here, I’ll do everything here,” Dibona said. “He’s a tremendous shipper. I mean Dubai, Kentucky, [New] Jersey, wherever he goes he’s an unbelievably good shipper. So, I would prepare here and then get down to Ellis a few days before the race, just train a little lightly and then run.”
