Vive Veuve takes the Sanibel Island (Juliana Colombo/Past The Wire)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— Finding a seam between horses down the stretch, jockey Javier Castellano drove Sterling Stables, LLC’s Vive Veuve to a narrow victory over race favorite Ozara in the $125,000 Sanibel Island Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
A 3-year-old filly by Collected trained by Jack Sisterson, Vive Veuve has two wins in three races since arriving in the U.S. from Ireland.
The filly raced in midpack along the rail down the backstretch and around the turn and was stuck behind horses. But shortly after entering the stretch, Castellano found room between Destiny Star and Golden Ghost and drove the filly to victory.
“”It was tight. Very tight,” Castellano said. “I was able to save all the ground in the first turn and all the way on the backside, and I think that made all the difference. I liked how he split horses turning for home and the top of the stretch. I just closed my eyes and went through. At the top of the stretch. It was really tight, no place to go. I had to take a shot. I had to be aggressive and try to time it right.”
