Jimmy’s Dailys. (Lauren King Photo)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Donald Dizney’s homebred Jimmy’s Dailys, stakes-placed in each of his starts this summer since finishing off the board in the March 29 Florida Derby (G1), will try grass for the first time when he stretches back out around two turns in Saturday’s $75,000 Showing Up at Gulfstream Park.
Named for the millionaire that went on to win two Grade 1 grass stakes after opening his career with back-to-back victories at Gulfstream in 2006, the 1 1/16-mile Showing Up for 3-year-olds anchors an 11-race program co-headlined by the $75,000 Armed Forces for 2-year-olds, also scheduled for the turf.
First race post time is 11:55 a.m.
Four of Jimmy’s Daily’s seven career starts have come at Gulfstream, all of them during last winter’s Championship Meet including a maiden special weight triumph third time out sprinting seven furlongs. He is by two-time Grade 1 winner Vekoma, whose progeny connects at 18 percent (23-for-125) in turf routes.
“Two turns, grass, there’s a lot of things to be excited about,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “We’re excited about trying him on the grass. He’s been in really good form and he comes out of a key race. I would be really disappointed if he didn’t run well.
“It’s just something I’d like to experiment with,” he added of the switch to turf. “It’s a bit of a question mark, but he just has the sort of action that I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes to the grass.”
Following his graduation Jimmy’s Dailys ran second in his first try against winners Feb. 27, beaten 2 ½ lengths by subsequent Wood Memorial (G2) runner-up Grande in a 1 1/8-mile optional claimer. The connections thought enough of the bay colt to give him another try at the distance in the Florida Derby where the country’s top 3-year-old, Sovereignty, ran second to Tappan Street.
“He’s doing great. We took out a chip after the Florida Derby and cleaned that up,” Lynch said. “He had some time from that and I thought he came back well.”
Jimmy’s Dailys rallied to get up for second by a neck in his return, the one-mile Ellis Park Derby Aug. 10, beaten seven lengths by his Grade 1-placed stablemate Big Truzz. Last time out he came up a half-length short of Amsterdam (G2) winner Smoken Wicked in the seven-furlong Harrods Creek Sept. 20 at Churchill Downs. He was entered but scratched from Keeneland’s Bryan Station (G3) last weekend to await this spot.
“I thought he had a really good second against Big Truzz in the first stop, and then I thought it was a very good second again in the race at Churchill,” Lynch said. “[Smoken Wicked] had come out of Saratoga in the stake up there so he was in good order, and we ran really good to be second. Now’s the time to try him.”
Rated as the 5-2 program favorite, Nik Juarez has the mount on Jimmy’s Dailys from Post 7 in an overflow field of 14 that includes also-eligibles Back in the Saddle and Nemo.
Maryland-based trainer Michael Trombetta, who maintains a South Florida string of horses during the winter, is represented by Live Oak Plantation Florida homebreds Magic Pathway and the undefeated Souper Forces. Magic Pathway has run well at the distance with two wins, one second and one third in four tries including a runner-up effort in the Sept. 1 Saranac at Saratoga.
By Quality Road, winner of the 2009 Florida Derby and 2010 Donn Handicap (G1) – now the $3 million Pegasus World Cup – at Gulfstream, Magic Pathway ran second as the favorite in a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight April 12 at Gulfstream.
“I like him. We figured we’d get him down there,” Trombetta said. “We’re running out of options up north for these kinds of horses so we’re starting to migrate south.”
Souper Forces is a perfect two-for-two thus far, debuting with a come-from-behind neck victory Aug. 5 sprinting six furlongs over the all-weather surface at Presque Isle Downs. Most recently he rallied from off the pace again to capture an open one-mile allowance Sept. 1 on the turf at Colonial Downs in Virginia, where Trombetta was the leading trainer with 30 wins and $2 million in purse earnings.
“Honestly, to watch him train he’s kind of quiet and just kind of does his own thing. But his races have been remarkably good, so we figured we’d give him a try,” Trombetta said. “He hasn’t done anything wrong yet.
“I’m surprised we got here this quickly with him, but he got the maiden win and then knocked out the allowance condition so that kind of puts us right in this area,” he added. “The competition gets better here, so we’ll see what he’s made of.”
Samy Camacho will ride Magic Pathway (Post 3, 12-1) while Cipriano Gil is named aboard Souper Forces (Post 6, 15-1).
Calumet Farm homebred Candytown (Post 5, 3-1), trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, exits a fourth in the one-mile Gio Ponti Sept. 28 on the Aqueduct turf to Salamis, who came back to be fifth, beaten just two lengths, in the Bryan Station. The son of champion sprinter Speightstown has a win over older horses going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 30 on the grass at Saratoga, and owns a win at the course and distance April 19, also against his elders.
Kevin Doyle’s Layabout (Post 12, 4-1) won twice this summer at one mile on the Gulfstream turf, capturing an optional claiming allowance June 20 and the Bear’s Den by a neck Aug. 2. Most recently he rallied from 10 lengths off the pace to be beaten by less than two when fourth in the one-mile Gun Runner Sept. 6 at Churchill.
Also entered are X Y Prime (Post 1, 15-1); Day and Age (Post 2, 12-1); English Law (Post 4, 30-1); Discreet Dancer (Post 8, 20-1); twice stakes-placed Win With Faith (Post 9, 30-1); Assertiveness (Post 10, 12-1), racing first off the claim for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.; and Versus (Post 11, 12-1), third in the Sept. 27 Kent at Delaware Park.
