Red Carpet Ready showed up at Gulfstream Park ready to do battle in Saturday’s $125,000 Hurricane Bertie. (Lauren King)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite coming off an eight-month layoff, Ashbrook Farm and Upland Flats Racing’s Red Carpet Ready showed up at Gulfstream Park ready to do battle in Saturday’s $125,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3).
The Hurricane Bertie, a 6 ½ furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, co-headlined Saturday’s 12-race program with the $100,000 Silks Run, a five-furlong sprint for older horses on turf.
Rusty Arnold-trained Red Carpet Ready ($10.60), unraced since finishing off the board as the favorite in the July 8 Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont Park, received a dream trip under Luis Saez to prevail in a hotly contested edition of the Hurricane Bertie.
“Rusty doesn’t crank on them much the first race back. It’s a long year. I really thought she might need one,” said Sarah Arnold, who works alongside her husband, Rusty. “I’m out there every day, and she does everything you ask her to do. Her mental and her heart make up for so much.”
Red Carpet Ready saved ground behind the pace set by Spirit Wind, the front-running winner of the Dec. 23 Sugar Swirl (G3) in her most recent start, and pressed by Olivia Darling, the 2-1 favorite who was coming off a victory in the Jan. 27 Inside Information. After fractions of 22.41 and 44.66 (seconds) for the first half mile, Spirit Wind and Olivia Darling entered the stretch side by side, with Red Carpet Ready looming dangerous while swinging to the outside.
The pacemakers hung tough thorough the stretch, but they were unable to hold off a rallying Red Carpet Ready, who prevailed by a half-length after running 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.09.
“Mr. Rusty always does a great job with all his horses. We worked her last time, and she did it beautiful. We knew today that the race was not easy, but she always shows up,” Saez said. “Last time she kind of ran a little bit empty but after that she had a long time off and she came back pretty well.”
Olivia Darling edged Spirit Wind by a neck.
Red Carpet Ready won her first three career starts, including the 2023 Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream before tasting defeat for the first time while finishing third in the Davona Dale (G2). The daughter of Oscar Performance rebounded with a triumph in the Eight Belles (G2) at Churchill Downs before finishing off the board for the first time in the Victory Ride.
Red Carpet Ready is likely to return in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on the May 4 Kentucky Derby Day card at Churchill.
