Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
GULFSTREAM WEST Swagger Jagger returns to place of most success
MIAMI – Swagger Jagger, who has barnstormed the country for the last seven months, will return to Gulfstream Park West on Thursday to face just six rivals in the $48,000 main event, one of two optional-claiming races on an eight-race card.
Swagger Jagger has competed at five racetracks in four states dating back to late March, when he rallied to win the Tampa Bay Downs Turf Classic for Floridabreds. He has been off the board, but not badly beaten, in four subsequent starts at Canterbury Downs, Indiana Grand, Kentucky Downs, and most recently across town at Gulfstream Park, where he finished fifth in the Mr. Steele Stakes.
But Gulfstream Park West is where Swagger Jagger has flourished, having won all three of his starts at the track formerly known as Calder Race Course, including the Pulpit Stakes as a 2-year-old during fall 2015.
Swagger Jagger has been owned by Freddy Lewis III and trained by Mike Maker for all but one of his 23 career starts, having been claimed away from the team out of a win here last November for $25,000, then taken right back for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park five weeks later.
“We bought him out of a 2-yearold in training sale and lost him last year,” said Maker, who has already shipped 10 horses back to South Florida for the winter. “But the owner wanted him back, so we claimed him right back the following month. This should be a good spot for him. That’s why we sent him down here, to find a race he could win and because we know he does like it at Gulfstream West.”
Maker won 36 races during the 2017-18 Gulfstream Park championship meeting, and also had a good deal of success during the 2017 Gulfstream Park fall session, winning with seven of his 18 starters here last fall.
Maker has tabbed Emisael Jaramillo to ride Swagger Jagger.
“The key is to get him covered up and put him in the right place to win, since he does tend to want to get a little aggressive during the early stages of his races,” said Maker.
Who’s Your Drama is the only member of the field coming into the race off a victory, having proven a 1 3/4-length winner against softer optional-claiming foes last month at Gulfstream.
Chief Exchanger figures to control the pace coming in fresh and off a couple of bullet works on the turf at Palm Meadows. Chief Exchanger is also perfect in two starts at the distance and has won more races overall (eight) than any other member of the field.
Leitone is the biggest question mark in the field, returning to the grass for just the second time in his career and first since winning the Group 1 El Derby in his native Chile in February. Leitone was purchased privately and sent this summer to Gulfstream Park, where he made two starts, both on dirt, finishing a distant second to Gunnevera in his U.S. bow before finishing far back over a sloppy track in the Mo Expectation Stakes on Sept. 7.
◗ Trainer Stanley Gold will send out top contenders Samoa and Bimini in a field of six 2-year-olds set to go a mile in the $47,000 co-feature, which goes as the second race on the card.
Samoa and Bimini both return to more suitable competition after being overmatched against stakes company in their two most recent appearances.
“I always thought they both wanted to go two turns, so this is the right spot for both,” Gold said. “I really didn’t want to run them against one another, but the distance races haven’t been filling so you’ve got to take the shot when you can.”
Recent maiden winners Abuela’s Love and Busy Signal are among the chief competition stretching to a mile for the first time, with Jo Sweetness and Arts and Crafts completing the lineup.