Due to a lack of stakes engagements for Florida-bred sophomores, it will be nearly two months before the top locals knock heads in the Florida Breeders Stakes.
With the recent conclusion of the Sunshine State Stakes series at Pompano Park, one thing is almost universally evident, the best two-year-olds of 2008 are among the best three-year-olds of 2009.
Three freshmen Florida-breds split the $100,000 FSBOA bonus in 2008. Frank and Inge Smith’s Pearl of Capri, Linda Kakaley and Sophia Valkanoff’s Whosgoinwhosstayin and Tom Audley’s Goldstar Rosie all shared the prize.
And the Lorenzo Stable’s Storming Howard captured three of the four races in the bonus chase.
Three of those four horses are still dominating their competition.
Pearl Of Capri won a track record 15th consecutive race on October 2 as the Veral Bowman-trained homebred daughter of Famously captured her Sunshine State Stakes final in 2:00.3.
“She just keeps rolling along,” Frank Smith said earlier this week. “She has just been great and Bruce (driver Bruce Ranger) just uses as much of her as he needs. I am sure we have not seen the best of her yet because she has not been tested.”
Whosgoinwhosstayin was tested this summer and the three-year-old gelding held his own against top open trotters at Rockingham Park, setting a mark of 1:55.4 earlier this summer.
Since he returned, he has been perfect in three Sunshine State starts including a 1:58.2 victory in the final October 3. Trained by Linda Kakaley, his only problem is that he has problems at the gate. In fact, he made a break at the gate in the final.
“He can’t stand the gate,” driver Mickey McNichol said. “It is a new gate, a new starter and really tight, I knew we might have problems. But once he starts racing, no one can stay with him.”
The Lorenzo Stable’s Storming has been the dominant three-year-old pacer. He is owned by Lorenzo, William Hancock, Ciro Gentile and the Pomtambo Stable.
Lorenzo’s Storming Howard won three of the four legs last year. “He drew the nine hole last year, got locked in and just missed by a neck.” Storming Howard, now three, has won nine straight.
While Goldstar Rosie had won two straight legs, she was not a factor in the final as Polo Stables’ Bling came within a fifth of a second of Miss Easy’s track record with a 1:52.3 win for trainer Marc Friedman and driver David Ingraham.
(FSBOA)