Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Frank’s Rockette short-priced standout in Hurricane Bertie
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Frank’s Rockette is expected to go postward one of the shortest-priced favorites of the Gulfstream Park winter season when she takes on five seemingly overmatched rivals in Saturday’s $125,000 Hurricane Bertie.
The Grade 3 filly-and-mare sprint fixture is the first of two stakes on the card along with what figures to be a vastly more competitive Captiva Island for older fillies and mares on the turf. Post time for the 12-race program is 12:40 p.m.
Frank’s Rockette was backed to 3-5 favoritism and delivered a dominating performance to close out her stellar 2022 campaign when drawing off to a 12 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl here Dec. 31. The outing was the first for the daughter of Into Mischief since her disappointing 11th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Trained by Bill Mott for owner-breeder Frank Fletcher, Frank’s Rockette was graded stakes-placed twice a year ago and earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures four times during the course of the campaign. She capped off the season with the career-best 105 she earned for her awesome performance in the Sugar Swirl.
Overall, she has banked more than $1.2 million in 25 starts, which is higher than the cumulative earnings of her five foes in the 6 1/2-furlong Hurricane Bertie.
Junior Alvarado will pick up the mount on Frank’s Rockette from her regular jockey, Luis Saez, who will be at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday to ride heavily favored Tapit Trice in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Colorful Mischief had the misfortune earlier in the meet of running into a very talented filly in the once-beaten Maryquitecontrary when second best in both the one-mile Rampart and seven-furlong, Grade 2 Inside Information. She appears to be going from the frying pan into the fire on Saturday against the imposing Frank’s Rockette.
“She’s been doing well, she’s been running well. It looks like she’s going to be competing against a heavy favorite in there, so she’s going to have to step up,” Pletcher said.
If there is one ray of hope for Colorful Mischief, it is all the speed signed on along with the prohibitive favorite.
“She would definitely benefit from a fast pace, so we’ll hope that develops,” said Pletcher.
Fire On Time, who set the pace before finishing third in the Inside Information, may relish the turnback in distance, having won a second-level allowance race from just off the pace going 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs on Nov. 30.
Drifaros has won her last four starts, including the Minaret at Tampa Bay Downs four weeks ago, but she’s yet to compete beyond six furlongs. She figures to be part of the early mix once again along with R Adios Jersey, who prompted a quick pace for the opening six furlongs of the Inside Information before tiring to finish fourth, only two lengths behind Colorful Mischief and a length back of Fire On Time.
Diamond Wow bounced back from a dull performance in the Inside Information to win a second-level allowance race three weeks later while earning a career-best 84 Beyer Figure and is another who could benefit from the projected pace scenario.
Captiva Island
The $100,000 Captiva Island field of 10 is led by win machine Train to Artemus, who has captured six of her last seven starts dating back to August at Saratoga, along with Charlie T, Mamba Wamba, and Imagery, the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers behind One Identity in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint here one month ago.
Train to Artemus, whose six wins have come at five different tracks over the past seven months, shipped to Tampa Bay Downs for her most recent success, rallying to a two-length victory in the Lightning City Stakes going five furlongs on Feb. 18. She will be reunited in the five-furlong Captiva Island with Alvarado, who has guided her to a pair of local victories, one on turf, the second over the Tapeta course, since her return to South Florida in the fall.
Train to Artemus is trained by Kelly Breen, who was only three victories shy of 1,000 career wins heading into Thursday’s card.
Only 1 1/4 lengths separated the first four fillies across the wire in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint with Charlie T holding on to be a game second after contesting the pace from the outset. Mamba Wamba was another neck farther back at the wire, finishing best of all after losing considerable ground into the stretch.
Last Leaf returns to the turf for the first time since May. The versatile filly won the Melody of Colors over the local course here a year ago before becoming a three-time stakes winner on dirt at 3 for trainer Ron Spatz.