Sheriff Bianco captures his first stakes win and first win since 2023 (Susie Raisher)
Keith McCalmont/NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A. Bianco Holding Limited’s Sheriff Bianco picked up his first career stakes win with a rallying score in Saturday’s $125,000 Say Florida Sandy, a seven-furlong sprint for older New York-bred horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Linda Rice and piloted by Ruben Silvera, the 7-year-old Speightster gelding returned on one week’s rest to secure his first stakes win in his 14th attempt and 41st career start overall. He entered from a third-place effort in an open optional-claiming tilt here last Saturday when available for a $62,500 tag and secured his first win in 22 starts dating to a local optional-claimer in April 2023 – although he had hit the board on 13 occasions.
Rice said she was pleased to see the veteran gelding break through at stakes level.
“He loves seven furlongs. It is a New York-bred, seven furlongs [stakes] and frankly, I’ve had the horse quite a while, and here and there it has looked like he’s tailed off at times,” said Rice, the Big A winter meet’s leading conditioner. “We’ve given him a few breaks and I ran him for a claiming price last time out. I was pretty happy with that performance, I thought it was an uptick in his performances, and because of that I said, ‘let’s give him a shot in the New York-bred stakes because seven-eighths is probably his sweet spot.’”
Shipsational broke alertly from the outermost post 6 under Eric Cancel but it was the 8-5 mutuel favorite Mama’s Gold that took command through an opening quarter-mile in 23.64 seconds over the fast main track.
Mama’s Gold, cutting back in distance from a pair of impressive frontrunning nine-furlong scores here, made the half-mile in 46.90 under pressure from the pressing Shipsational as Sheriff Bianco and Doc Sullivan stalked in tandem in front of Locke and Key and the trailing Whittington Park.
Shipsational advanced with purpose through the turn and held a short advantage as the field turned for home with Mama’s Gold fading and Sheriff Bianco looming large with a three-wide rally. Sheriff Bianco, under left-handed encouragement, had all the momentum down the lane and put away the stubborn Shipsational by 1 3/4-lengths to score in a final time of 1:24.94. It was less than a length back to Doc Sullivan in third with Locke and Key, Mama’s Gold and Whittington Park rounding out the order of finish.
At 8-1, #NYBred SHERIFF BIANCO wins the Say Florida Sandy Stakes under @Ruben__Silvera for @LindaRiceRacing! pic.twitter.com/JDf1MHn2JV
— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) February 15, 2025
Silvera said Sheriff Bianco finished well despite not switching leads.
“I tried to follow the instructions, and she [Linda Rice] told me, ‘stay behind the speed, comfortable,’” Silvera said. “I had a perfect trip, and I come behind the speed waiting for the stretch. I tried switching the lead two times, but he never switched. I tried hard in the end, and he won the race.”
Cancel said the Edward Barker-trained Shipsational was game in defeat.
“He broke good, and I didn’t want to take anything away from him, so I just let him be up there,” Cancel said. “Close to the quarter pole, I started letting him loose and he started getting away from horses and felt a little bit alone. That’s when the other horse just came with a big run at the end and ran me down, but I’m very happy and he ran very good.”
Rice indicated that Sheriff Bianco could look to double up on stakes success next out in the one-mile $125,000 Haynesfield for older New York-breds on April 6 here.
“He’s good at one turn, whether it be six [furlongs] to a mile, it is really where he wants to be,” Rice said. “He’s even run well at a mile and an eighth at times – I think the seven-eighths is probably his best spot, but I would assume we will go to the Haynesfield next.”
Bred by SF Bloodstock, Sheriff Bianco banked $68,750 in victory while improving his record to 41-7-14-9. Sheriff Bianco, a half-brother to graded stakes-placed Never Gone South, is out of the Perfect Soul mare Summer Rules – a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner Peace Rules. He returned $18.80 for a $2 win bet as the fourth choice in the wagering.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
