HALLANDALE BEACH Fla. – Epigram, among the more impressive 2-year-old maiden winners this season at Gulfstream Park, will attempt to validate her debut win when stepping up against stakes competition for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint.
A field of eight was drawn for the 6 1/2-furlong dash over the main track, which includes a trio from the barn of leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., topped by the multiple stakes-placed Tessellate.
Epigram dominated her four rivals on Aug. 15, quickly sprinting to the lead under jockey Emisael Jaramillo before widening her advantage with complete authority when roused for the drive. She won by 9 3/4 lengths despite remaining on her left lead for much of the way down the stretch.
Epigram is owned and trained by Jose Castro, who has won with nearly 25 percent of his starters during the current session after having taken out his trainer’s license for the first time earlier this year.
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“She had worked very fast before her first start, so we expected she was going to run well and she did,” Castro said. “We decided to give her some time off to mature a little more after that race, and she’s continued to train very well coming into the stakes.”
Epigram is well drawn on the extreme outside with Jaramillo taking the return call.
“We’re very happy with her post,” Castro said. “I expect her to break well and show off her speed once again.”
Joseph is likely to start only two of the three fillies he entered, with La Dolce Vita to join Tessellate in the starting gate. Mystical Belle, a popular maiden winner in her last start, is expected to scratch after having been entered in a Sunday optional-claiming and allowance race.
Tessellate was a two-length winner over Florida-bred maidens to kick off her career going five furlongs on July 15. She then stepped up into stakes company and finished second in the six-furlong Susan’s Girl and a tiring third after setting a contested pace while attempting to stretch to a mile in the Hallandale Beach.
La Dolce Vita was a beaten favorite in her first two career starts, with both of those races on turf. She switched to the main track and proved a popular winner going six furlongs Oct. 24. Her winning Beyer Speed Figure of 69 is the highest of any member of the Juvenile Fillies Sprint lineup.
The remainder of the field includes Nour, who finished far in front of the multiple stakes winner Willow Case when second best under allowance conditions in her last start; recent maiden-claiming winner Make Your Wish; and Dakota’s Lil Auror.
Pegasus a BC Challenge race
The Breeders’ Cup announced Thursday that the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 24 will be included in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series for the first time. The winner will receive an automatic fees-paid berth into the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
“Including the Pegasus World Cup is a perfect fit – it’s a first-class event that now becomes part of an elite journey to the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” said Drew Fleming, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited.
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