That Was Wild
Honors Stable Corp’s Wildcat Red (D’wildcat)–a runaway winner of the seven-furlong GIII Hutcheson S. Feb. 1, proved all heart on the stretch out in distance by defeating General a Rod (Roman Ruler) by a head over a course playing kind to speed in yesterday’s GII Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream. General a Rod previously defeated Wildcat Red by a head in a wild renewal of the Gulfstream Park Derby Jan. 1. “The [GI] Florida Derby [Mar. 29] will be the next step, depending on how the horse comes back, and then we’ll see,” trainer Jose Garoffalo said. “If everything goes the right way, we will go straight to Churchill Downs, hopefully.”
Wildcat Red took advantage of his inside draw and showed the way on the clubhouse turn. General a Rod quickly engaged and the stage was set. The pair locked horns through an opening quarter in :23.03. General a Rod poked his head in front through a half in :46.25, but Wildcat Red fought right back at him. Still going at it as they straightened for home, Wildcat Red never said die along the rail and wouldn’t be denied. “We proved that we were right, that the horse could get the distance,” Garoffalo said. “I thought [General a Rod] was the horse to beat and the race was a copy of the last race, the Gulfstream Park Derby, but this time I got lucky and I beat him. Now we can think seriously about the [Kentucky] Derby. He never quits and he likes that–to feel the horse next to him. I was very confident at the wire. I knew that he was going to beat him this time. Last time, the post position wasn’t good, but now it was a different story, thank God.”
Wildcat Red began his career with a pair of wins over this course, then was disqualified from first and placed second for interference when making his stakes debut in the Juvenile Sprint S. at Gulfstream Nov. 9. He’s only a head short of being unbeaten in three attempts at three, courtesy of the game runner-up, in their aforementioned throwdown in the Gulfstream Park Derby. Garoffalo picked up Wildcat Red for $30,000 at last year’s OBSJUN 2-Year-Old Sale. “I go to the sales with a limited budget and I liked everything about the horse–the way he breezed, his athletic body, and more than anything, his attitude,” Garoffalo said. “I got lucky that he exactly fit the budget.” Winning co-owner Josie Delfino added, “This feels great, it’s so emotional. We’ve been in racing for two years. We’re what you call newcomers. We had a good friend from Venezuela introduce us to Jose. We always wanted a horse–we rescue animals in Venezuela–but didn’t know it would be a racehorse until after we met Jose. We didn’t think we’d get this far so quick, but after we got Red we thought we’d go far. He has the heart of a winner.”
‘TDN Rising Star’ Top Billing, favored at 2-1 off the heels of a visually impressive come-from-behind allowance tally Jan. 25, came from a mile out of it to complete the trifecta. “We just couldn’t catch them,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “He made a good run, I thought at the quarter pole we probably had them, but we just couldn’t get to them.” Jockey Joel Rosario added, “He broke well and he’s the type of horse that takes a little time to get in the race. It looks like the track is holding speed today, but I think he ran well. He’s a smart horse and he finished well. They were going pretty quick and didn’t let up. That was a good race for him I think.”
Saturday, Gulfstream
BESILU STABLES FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH S.-GII, $415,000, GPX, 2-22, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:41 4/5, ft.
1–WILDCAT RED, 120, c, 3, by D’wildcat
1st Dam: Racene (GSP, $128,740), by Miner’s Mark
2nd Dam: Vette, by Flying Paster
3rd Dam: Penny Legende, by Grey Dawn II
($30,000 2yo ‘13 OBSJUN). O-Honors Stable Corp;
B-Moreau Bloodstock International Inc & Winter
Racing Enterprise, I (FL); T-Jose Garoffalo; J-Luis
Saez. $255,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-2-0,
$490,850. *1/2 to Racing Machine (Skimming), Co-
Ch. Imp Older Mare & SW-Jam. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–General a Rod, 120, c, 3, Roman Ruler–Dynamite
Eyes, by Dynaformer. ($100,000 yrl ’12 FTKJUL;
$72,000 yrl ’12 FTKOCT). O-J Armando Rodriguez;
B-Hare Forest Farm (KY); T-Michael Maker. $80,000.
3–Top Billing, 117, c, 3, Curlin–Parade Queen, by A.P.
Indy. O-William Farish & E J Hudson Jr; B-W S Farish
& E J Hudson, Jr Irrevocable Trust (KY); T-Claude R
McGaughey III. $40,000.
Margins: HD, 2, 4HF. Odds: 4.50, 3.40, 2.00.
Also Ran: East Hall, Medal Count, Commissioner, Our Caravan, We Miss Artie, Best Plan Yet, C. Zee, Almost Famous, Hesinfront. Scratched: Casiguapo.
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.