Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Fully Loaded to get stakes test
Two years ago, trainer Jose Pinchin swept the male division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park with Three Rules, whose combined victory margin in the three-race series was more than 22 lengths.
Saturday, Pinchin will saddle Fully Loaded at the South Florida track when the son of Two Step Salsa comes favored in the $100,000 Dr. Fager for 2-yearold colts and geldings. The filly counterpart, the $100,000 Desert Vixen, also will be part of a 13-race card. Both races go at six furlongs.
Fully Loaded has won both his starts, a maiden race and an allowance, earning a 75 Beyer Speed Figure each time. Asked to compare the colt to Three Rules, who has earned nearly $1 million, Pinchin said in brief understatement: “They can both run.”
Fully Loaded was one of 10 expected for the Dr. Fager, while a full gate of 14 was in prospect for the Desert Vixen as entries were being taken Wednesday at the track.
Among the top prospects for the Desert Vixen are Capture Your Dream, Valkyrie Gold, and Nancysaidso. Stanley Gold, whose 18 wins in the Florida Sire Stakes is a series record among trainers, entered five fillies in the Desert Vixen, including two maidens.
This is the 37th straight year for the Florida Sire Stakes (formerly the Florida Stallion Stakes), which is restricted to horses sired by Florida-registered stallions. The subsequent legs are the $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl (both seven furlongs) on Sept. 1, followed by the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl (both 1 1/16 miles) on Sept. 29.
First post Saturday is 12:15 p.m. Eastern. The first Taste of the Track event of the season will be held in the Ten Palms dining room, with tickets available for $25 online or $30 at the door.
Gunnevera seeks a prep
Trainer Antonio Sano has said he is looking to get a prep race into Gunnevera before sending the colt to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes on Sept. 1, and a perfectly suitable race is in the Gulfstream condition book for next Friday (Aug. 10). It’s a 1 1/16-mile race with multi-layered conditions, including an eligibility clause for horses that have not won in six months. Entries will be drawn Sunday.
Unraced since suffering a hoof injury when finishing eighth in the March 31 Dubai World Cup, Gunnevera now has six works under his belt after breezing six furlongs Sunday in 1:15.60 at Gulfstream Park West.
Rainbow 6 keeps building
Although a nine-race Friday card at Gulfstream lacks so much as one allowance race, there will still be plenty of interest from horseplayers for at least one reason alone: The Rainbow 6 jackpot figures to start the day past the $600,000 mark.
Unswept since the summer meet began July 1, the jackpot stood at $589,473 when a fourday race week began Thursday. First post Friday is 2 p.m. Eastern, with the Rainbow 6 spanning races 4-9.
◗ Natalie Fawkes will be represented by the first starter of her training career Friday when she saddles Jezebel Jones for the last race, a $12,500 maiden-claiming turf sprint. Natalie is the daughter of trainer David Fawkes, who has won more than 900 races competing primarily in South Florida since going solo in 1998.