Win N Your In scoring the Sharp Susan Stakes. (Lauren King)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Carlos David didn’t know what to expect when Win N Your In embarked on her racing career in a Florida-bred maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park June 6.
To look at the diminutive 2-year-old filly, no one could have blamed him for being realistic.
“She’s a small filly. She doesn’t strike you as a stakes horse. She was a $12,000 buy at the sales as a yearling. My owners know how racing is. If you get lucky, you get lucky. You never know with the babies,” David said. “I had a green light to go where I wanted. I could have put her in for $35,000. With the Florida Sires Stakes coming up, I put her in a state-bred race and she ran third. The owners said, ‘If you want to drop her to get the win, go ahead.’”
Two impressive wins later, Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s little filly looms large as the even-money morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream Park, where the daughter of Win Win Win established herself as a stakes horse with a dominating 4 ¾-length in the Aug. 10 Sharp Susan in open company.
“She shined that day,” David said. “I’m glad I didn’t put her in for a tag.”
Win N Your In, who was purchased at the 2023 OBS Winter sale, raced evenly to finish third in her June 6 debut at 4 ½ furlongs. Exactly a month later, she made a huge move forward while drawing away to a 7 ½ victory in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight race for Florida-bred fillies, in which her stablemate Miss Mary Nell finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite.
“The other filly is bigger. She struck me as a better filly. She was not a sprinter,” David said. “I ended up winning with her on the turf later on after this filly won the race.”
A lot more was expected of Win N Your In when she was favored at 1-2 favorite in the six-furlong Sharp Susan Aug. 10, and she delivered, winning by 4 ¾ lengths. The manner in which she won was more impressive than her margin of victory.
When returning jockey Miguel Vasquez asked her to go through a very narrow opening on the rail on the turn into the homestretch, the small-but-mighty filly did so without hesitation before surging away from her rivals to the wire. However, she didn’t come out of the race unscathed.
“In the last race, the Sharp Susan, when she squeezed through on the rail, that horse hit her on the shin and she came out bleeding,” David said. “That got a little out of hand, that cut. That’s why we skipped a workout. Even with that problem, she’s never been off. She’s never taken a bad step. She’s very professional. She’s very mature for her age. I think she’s going to do well.”
Win N Your In returned to the worktab at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Sunday with a half-mile workout in 48.25 seconds.
Win N Your In scheduled to race six other fillies in the Desert Vixen, including Averill Racing LLC’s R Morning Brew, an impressive debut winner at Gulfstream Aug. 5. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained daughter of Curlin’s Honor broke cleanly from her rail post position and quickly established a lead on the backstretch that would grow to 4 ½ lengths at the finish of the six-furlong maiden special weight event.
Edgard Zayas has the return call aboard R Morning Brew, who is rated second at 5-2 on the morning line.
Trainer Jose Pinchin and Christian Maingot’s Wiggle An’ Wine is rated third at 4-1 after finishing second behind Win N Your In in the Sharp Susan. The daughter of Awesome Slew previously scored a strong 3 ½-length debut victory.
Emisael Jaramillo has the return mount aboard Wiggle An’ Wine.
Trainer Mary Lightner and Wendy Christ’s Glory Glory, Mark Cherry’s Bee A Queen and trainer Daniel Pita’s Slew Diva round out the field.
