Bethany Baumgardner stands in the Roar winner’s circle with Wide West with Edwin Gonzales up. (Coglianese Photo)
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David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Her last time facing males resulted in Glen Hill Farm homebred Wide West gutting out a head victory in the five-furlong Roar last spring on the grass at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Bethany Baumgardner would like to see a similar result – not as dramatic, perhaps – in Saturday’s $95,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.
The five-furlong Umphrey Turf Sprint is the first of four stakes worth $510,000 in purses on an 11-race program headlined by the $220,000 Princess Rooney (G3), a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
Based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Wide West exits a third in the five-furlong Lady Carey Turf Sprint contested over a yielding course July 28 at Hawthorne Race Course near Chicago, setting the pace before giving way late to be beaten a length.
“She’s doing well. She’s worked a couple times here at Palm Meadows after the race at Hawthorne. She’s feeling well with herself and looks good,” Baumgardner said. “I think she would have loved the ground to be a little firmer but then maybe she wouldn’t have gotten away as well and gotten her softer lead like she likes.
“It might have been a Catch-22 because others might have been pressing her. I think she ran a good race out there and came out of it well, so that’s good,” she added. “We’re excited about it. I think it’ll be good to get her out there. She’s beaten the boys before. She gets a few pounds off, so we’ll send her out there and see what we’ve got.”
An Irish-bred daughter of undefeated British champion Frankel, Wide West drew Post 3 in a field of eight led by multiple stakes winner Xy Speed and was rated at 6-1 on the morning line. Jose Ferrer is named to ride for the first time.
“There’s definitely some other speed in there. She kind of has her pretty typical running style, so it’s kind of just keeping her happy where we can,” Baumgardner said. “She’s got a good post, I’m happy about that. As long as we can come out of there and just get her comfortable, that’ll be good.”
Wide West owns three wins, one second and three thirds from 13 career starts, the majority for previous trainer Tom Proctor who the 34-year-old Baumgardner, a former flat and steeplechase jockey, worked as an assistant before taking over Glen Hill’s South Florida string. Her first career win came with Ocean Club in the May 18 Monroe over the Gulfstream turf.
This year, Wide West is winless in five races with one second and has run third in two of her last three, including the April 28 Golden Beach Handicap sprinting five furlongs on the grass at Gulfstream.
“She definitely has the type of race that she likes,” Baumgardner said. “This is what was there and she’s well, so there was no reason not to give it a go.”
