Four horses coming off extended layoffs, including the multiple graded stakes-placed Nautical Star, are certain to make Friday’s $58,000 optional-claiming and allowance feature at Gulfstream Park a real handicapping challenge. The headliner will be decided at six furlongs over the main track and shares top billing on the nine-race program with an entry-level optional-claiming and allowance race for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on turf.
Nautical Star has not raced since finishing in a dead heat for second in the Lake Ouachita Stakes at Oaklawn Park 13 months earlier. He was third in the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile in his only other start at 4 and second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Damon’s Mound, in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing during the fall of his 3-year-old campaign.
Purchased privately off his maiden win by C2 Racing LLC and back in trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s barn for a second time, Nautical Star has prepped for his return off a steady series of work at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida. He is one of two horses Joseph will send out in the race along with Of a Revolution, runner-up in the 2022 Gallant Bob, who returns to the allowance ranks for the first time since capturing a similarly conditioned dash off a 22-month layoff during the summer of 2024.
The others launching comebacks in the race are Cacciatore, Free Soul, and Heart N Soul. Cacciatore will be making his first appearance since capping a three-race winning streak with a well-graded and one-sided optional-claiming and allowance win at Gulfstream 14 months earlier. He received far and away his best Beyer Speed Figure, a 93, for the performance. Cacciatore has been working bullets for his return for trainer Ronald Coy, including a half-mile in 46.80 seconds on May 14 at Gulfstream.
Tres Coronas comes back sharp
Arguably, the star of last weekend’s racing at Gulfstream wasn’t a jockey or a trainer but a 3-year-old son of Win Win Win named Tres Coronas, who came off an extended vacation to win a maiden special weight dash by 6 1/4 lengths in Sunday’s fourth race. He earned a stellar 87 Beyer after completing six furlongs in 1:09.30.
The Florida-bred Tres Coronas, who finished second in his only previous start when launching his career last August, is trained by Luis Ramirez for his owner-breeder, Smith Ranch LLC.
“Although he ran great in his first start, he was still very immature at the time,” Ramirez said. “And I have a great owner who let me have all the time I needed to let him grow up. We gave him more than six months off and were expecting a good performance the other day the way he had been training, although obviously not that good.”
Not surprisingly, Ramirez confirmed his owner has been fielding calls from potential buyers for Tres Coronas but that he is not interested in making any deals at the present time.
“He bred the horse and wants to keep him,” Ramirez said. “Right now I’m going to wait and see what’s in the next condition book before deciding where to run him. I am very excited but I am also in no rush – maybe a Florida-bred allowance, perhaps a small stakes. And if everything were to go well, then maybe we’d make a jump out of town.
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“The way he ran the other day, I don’t think he’ll have any trouble going seven furlongs right now. And in the future maybe longer.”
◗ A couple of hard-knocking old veterans, Lure Him In and Xy Speed, added victories to their already impressive résumés Sunday. The 8-year-old Lure Him In captured the 1 1/16-mile Wildcat Red overnight handicap over the main track for trainer Sam Wilensky. Xy Speed won a highly competitive optional-claiming and allowance sprint on the turf.
The win was the third in the last four starts and the 11th lifetime for Lure Him In and the 16th in the career of 9-year-old Xy Speed, who is trained by Michael Lerman.
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