Movin’ On Up. (Ryan Thompson)
Ramsey, Joseph Win in Two Stakes
Longshot Spirited Boss Wins the Sanibel Island
Seminole Chief Wins the Appleton on Turf
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Under a patient ground-saving trip from jockey Edgard Zaysas, Ken Ramsey’s 4-year-old filly Movin’ On Up became a stakes winner in record-setting fashion when stretching back out around two turns to register a three-length triumph in the $165,000 Sand Springs for fillies and mares 4 and up.
It was the third win of the day for meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., all in stakes including multimillionaire White Abarrio in the Ghostzapper (G3), and second for Ramsey, himself battling for the owner’s title. The winning time of 1:38.01 over a firm turf course broke the previous mark of 1:38.10 set March 7, 2015, by 5-year-old Inchcape.
Movin’ On Up ($8.20) rated in third along the rail as 25-1 longshot Spinning Colors set fractions of 23.23 and 45.26 seconds. While race favorite In Our Time went wide on the far turn to challenge the leader, Zayas bided his time and slipped through an opening on the inside to gain the front and open up once clear. Five Towns closed late to be second, with Breath Away third.
By Accelerate, Movin’ On Up ended a 4 ½-month gap between starts with a 2 ¾-length optional claiming allowance triumph going one mile March 15 on the Gulfstream turf. It was her season debut and first time facing older horses. She had made two previous stakes attempts, finishing fourth in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G2) and fifth in the Bourbonette Oaks last year.
The Ramsey silks and Joseph were also in the winner’s circle for the $165,000 Army Mule when Implementation, a runner-up in the one-mile Fred Hooper (G3) last time out, cut back to seven furlongs to win the seventh race of his career.
Knightsbridge, the 9-5 morning line favorite, was scratched Saturday morning.
Loco Abarrio, Of a Revolution and Inveigled all jockeyed for the front leaving the gate before Loca Abarrio got the lead right before a :22.42 opening quarter. After being pressed on the lead past a :44.70 half mile. Manny Franco guided Implementation four-wide around the turn and drove to the front. Inveigled, who lacked room down the stretch at one point, rallied for the place.
Implementation is a 6-year-old gelded son of Constitution who has earned more than $500,000. The gelding finished third in this race last year when named the Sir Shackleton.
Longshot Spirited Boss Wins the Sanibel Island
Tag Stable LLC’s Spirited Boss made a bold three-wide move around the final turn and held off a late charge by Candy Quest to win her turf debut in the $165,000 Sanibel Island.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Javier Castellano, Spirited Boss had run three times on Gulfstream’s Tapeta track, winning the last two going 5 ½ furlongs and her latest at a mile and 70 yards. A 3-year-old, Florida-bred daughter of Street Boss, Spirited Boss, a 12-1 longshot, covered the 7 ½ furlongs in 1:27 ¾.
“She was special since day one,” D’Angelo said. “I know she run three times, won two, but I was learning more from her. But on the grass she was different. We made the decision to run her on the grass because she can show what she did in the morning.”
Castellano had Spirited Boss just off the pace past fractions of :23.09 and 46.56 before letting her move three wide past the three-eighths pole.
Seminole Chief in the Appleton
Seminole Chief, an upset winner here as a 2-year-old of the $400,000 In Reality Stakes, pulled a minor upset when winning the $165,000 Appleton over Portofino. Abrumar finished third.
The race changed drastically right from the start when even-money favorite Major Dude was squeezed between horses leaving the gate and was last in the 11-horse field. Despite making up ground late to finish fourth, it was too much to overcome for the graded stakes winner and jockey Irad Ortiz.
Trained by Jack Sisterson and ridden by Dylan Davis, Seminole Chief covered the mile turf course in 1:33.91.
Seminole Chief ($9.40) was rated just off the pacesetter Portofino who set fractions of :23.45 and :47.20. The two stayed that way until Davis drove Seminole Chief past a stubborn Portofino an eighth of a mile from the finish line.
“I think he’s just a good horse on any surface,” Sisterson said. “He’s won on the dirt, Tapeta and grass, and he’s fast.”
