Spirit Wind vs. R Adios Jersey

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It will be speed against speed when the lightly raced but extremely promising 3-yearold Spirit Wind takes on the older, more accomplished, and equally fleet R Adios Jersey on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in a very intriguing renewal of the $65,000 Musical Romance Stakes.

The six-furlong Musical Romance, restricted to Florida-bred fillies and mares, shares top billing on a 12-race program along with the $75,000 Mr. Steele, which lured a well-matched field of 11 grass specialists to go 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Spirit Wind has led at every call to win her last two starts, including the Any Limit Stakes here March 19. R Adios Jersey closed out her 3-yearold campaign in 2021 with three straight wire-to-wire stakes victories, highlighted by her 3 1/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks. She also led for nearly six furlongs of a seven-furlong overnight handicap before dropping a hard-fought halflength decision to Corey when opening her 2022 season here last month.

Spirit Wind, a Jacks or Better Farm homebred trained by Ralph Nicks, will be coming off a two-month layoff, since her 2 1/2-length victory over Saturday rival One Identity in the Any Limit. Spirit Wind has trained extremely well in the interim, posting five works including four furlongs in a bullet 48 seconds on April 27, and a half-mile in 47.34 during which she shaded 23 for her final quarter-mile before galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.

R Adios Jersey opened her career with six consecutive victories, all while in the care of trainer Georgina Baxter. She was transferred to the barn of Gerald Bennett by owners Richard Averill and ATM Racing at the beginning of the current campaign and figures to improve off her last start after going into the race with only two works, both at Tampa Bay Downs.

Corey went postward at odds of 14-1 when she upset R Adios Jersey going seven furlongs April 23 while earning a careerbest 82 Beyer Speed Figure. She returns in the Musical Romance and picks up five pounds off her last race.

One Identity, the only other 3-year-old aside from Spirit Wind in the Musical Romance, suffered her only defeat in four starts in the Any Limit. She flattered that race when she defeated open allowance company in game fashion three weeks later.

◗ Clear Vision looms the one to beat in the Mr. Steele, coming off a series of Grade 3 outings this past winter that included a two-length victory in the Tropical Turf here Jan. 8. Claimed for a bargain $25,000 at Belmont Park in October, Clear Vision has been freshened since tiring badly to finish a distant sixth after setting the pace for six furlongs in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf on March 5.

Noble Indy stretches out off a fourth-place finish in a highpriced optional-claiming and allowance race going 7 1/2 furlongs on April 22. Eamonn won that race and is back for the Mr. Steele.