Floyd’ Hopes to Steal the Show

By Christie DeBernardis 
    Karl Pergola’s Rprettyboyfloyd (Bluegrass Cat) hopes to break through Sunday in the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. Despite the fact he has yet to earn his diploma, conditioner Denise Breuer believes he belongs in this six-horse field. 
    “I like the horse,” Breuer, who also entered Rprettyboyfloyd in a maiden special weight today but has chosen this softer spot, said. “I think he fits and I think its time to see what we have and which direction we are going to go with him.” 
    The dark bay showed plenty of ability in his first two starts, finishing second both times against some very solid company. Debuting at this track and trip Jan. 4, he made up plenty of ground late after a slow break to finish 3 1/4 lengths behind undefeated Bayern (Offlee Wild). Rprettyboyfloyd was further flattered when that rival returned Thursday to romp by 15 lengths in a Santa Anita allowance and earn the status of ‘TDN Rising Star’. 
    “The first start he broke very slowly and he was a little slow to get into stride,” Breuer recalled of her charge’s debut. “He was green. He picked up a lot of horses on the turn and then in the stretch he did not switch his lead. If he had   switched onto his right lead he would have finished a little closer or maybe even won.” 
    Trapped out four-wide, the ridgling made a huge stretch run again to miss by just a half-length to the heavily favored Chelios (Distorted Humor) last time here Jan. 26. 
    “He was a lot more forward, which is normal for a second race,” Breuer remarked. “He was a lot more in the race earlier and in the stretch another horse came out and bumped him pretty hard. I think that really knocked him off stride. I think he would have been even closer or won had he not had that interaction.” 
    With Rafael Bejarano in the irons this time and Rprettyboyfloyd’s closing style, Breuer thinks the San Vicente will set up well for him. 
    “I think there are three speed horses in there and three closers,” Breuer said. “In an ideal situation, the three speed horses go out there and burn each other out.” 
    Breuer hand picked Rprettyboyfloyd for Pergola at the Barretts May sale, where she purchased him privately after her RNA’d for $32,000. 
    “I thought he had a really nice way of moving, (click here for video)” the conditioner commented. “I thought he hit the ground very lightly. To be honest with you, the thing I liked best about him was his presence. He really caught my eye in his walk. He had a very confident demeanor, which is what I look for in a horse. He strutted in their like he owned the place and he was just a teeny, runt of a baby since he was born in May.” 
    Rprettyboyfloyd’s late birthday is the reason Breuer decided to skip a juvenile campaign and start him as a sophomore. He has grown up and filled out a lot since then, but displays the same confidence that first attracted Breuer to him. 
    “When he walks to the track you would think it is a big prize fighter coming out,” she said. “He is not afraid of anything. He puffs himself up and struts himself out like he is a big horse. He has filled out and is quite a bit bigger than he was.” 
    Out of El Bank Robber (Eltish), the dark bay was named after the famous robber Pretty Boy Floyd. 
    “His name came from the mare, El Bank Robber,” Breuer said. “Pretty Boy Floyd was a very well known bank robber. They [the Jockey Club] would not accept just Pretty Boy Floyd because it was trademarked, so we just added the ‘R’ in front of it.” 
    The 52-year-old conditioner took out her trainer’s license and set up shop at Santa Anita in 1996 after decades spent riding show horses and breaking babies for the races. She maintains a smaller size string in order to be hands on with all of her horses. 
    I have always had pony horses and I accompany my horses to the track daily,” Breuer said. “I tack up my horses and I do their legs. I don’t really have a desire to have 30 horses. I would rather have a smaller stable with quality and really be hands on. Obviously I have help, but I prefer to be right there overseeing everything. So far it has been pretty good in that I don’t have a lot of setbacks because I am not relying on anybody else’s eye.” 
    Though Breuer has had several stakes runners over the years, if Rprettyboyfloyd is successful on Sunday he will be her first black-type winner. The ridgling is nominated to the Triple Crown and, win or lose, in the San Vicente, Breuer believes he has a big future ahead of him. 
   “I definitely want to stretch him out in distance [after the San Vicente],” Breuer said. “He is nominated to the Triple Crown, but there are a lot of other big races that are potentials also in case we don’t go that way. I don’t want to push the horse. He is a very nice horse and there are so many big races. So many people put a lot of emphasis on the [GI Kentucky] Derby and all that, but a lot of horses run in the Derby and then you never see them again. I want to make sure that this horse is handled properly and that he has a long career ahead of him. I don’t want to base it all on one race.” 
    Breuer hopes Rprettyboyfloyd will prove her equestrian instincts correct and run away with Sunday’s race to earn both his diploma and the first black-type win for them both.