Grand Bili, a first-out winner at Gulfstream in February, was second behind Chipit (Tapit) in an Apr. 9 allowance before heading north for a lackluster 10th-place effort after a slow start in the May 16 Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. He tired to second after battling on the lead in the track-and-trip Big Cypress S. last time out. The gray colt sprinted out to the early lead and battled Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat) through a quarter in :22.00 and covering a half-mile in :43.76. Grand Bili asserted control at the top of the lane as returning favorite Barbados was winding up for his best run while six lengths back in fourth. Barbados, making his first start since winning the Jan. 24 GIII Hutcheson S., took dead aim on the pacesetter with a furlong to run, but Grand Bili remained resolute and grimly held on to his fast-diminishing advantage to the wire. “It was a fast pace, but that was what I expected,” said winning rider Javier Castellano. “There were a lot of fast horses in the race and I knew Bluegrass Singer would want to set the pace. I just wanted to have us on target. It worked out perfect. That was a dream trip. I give all the credit to the trainer [Gustavo Delgado]. He gave me a lot of tips about the horse and the way he runs. I think he's a nice horse.” Grand Bili's full-sister Conquest City Girl, a $90,000 KEESEP yearling in 2014, sold for $525,000 at this year's OBS March sale. Woodsmoke, a multiple-stakes winning homebred for Gustav Schickedanz, produced a filly by Proud Citizen last year.
Sunday, Gulfstream Park
CARRY BACK S.-GIII, $150,000, GP, 7-5, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.11, ft.
1–#@GRAND BILI, 117, c, 3, by City Zip
1st Dam: Woodsmoke (MSW, $198,157), by Langfuhr
2nd Dam: Forest Flute, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Sharpening Up, by Sharpen Up (GB)
($30,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Groupo 7C Racing
Stable; B-Gustav Schickedanz (ON); T-Gustavo
Delgado; J-Javier Castellano. $88,350. Lifetime
Record: 5-2-2-0, $130,530. Werk Nick Rating: C+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Barbados, 121, c, 3, Speightstown–Northern
Station, by Street Cry (Ire). ($160,000 Ylg '13
KEESEP; $230,000 2yo '14 KEEAPR; $340,000 2yo
'14 KEENOV). O-Suzanne Stables; B-Tommy Town
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Michael A. Tomlinson.
$28,500.
3–Juan and Bina, 117, c, 3, Indian Charlie–Caressing,
by Honour and Glory. ($145,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP).
O-Grupo 7C Racing Stable; B-Carl F. Pollard (KY);
T-Gustavo Delgado. $14,250.
Margins: 1, 4HF, 4. Odds: 5.10, 1.20, 15.50.
Also Ran: Southern Barbecue, Rod McLeod, Royal Squeeze, A M Milky Way, My Point Exactly, Bluegrass Singer, Sonofaderbywinner.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, or the TJCIS PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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