Gulfstream Park: Nine-year-old makes long-delayed return to races

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Real Estate pressed the pace before finishing a tiring seventh in Friday’s fourth race. But the 9-year-old had every reason to come up just a little short considering he was making his first start in 4 1/2 years in the $40,000 claiming dash.

Real Estate, a homebred son of High Yield owned by Peter Blum, had not started since winning the $100,000 James B. Moseley at Suffolk Downs on Sept. 20, 2008 with trainer Bruce Levine. A winner of 4 of 7 career starts, Real Estate is trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens.

“He was at stud all these years, but the owner thought nobody wanted to breed to him that much, so he decided to put him back in training,” said Jerkens. “I’ve never had one that’s been away this long. I had one who’d been off three years that won – Third Martini, the sire of Onion. He came back to win a stakes at Hialeah after being at stud.

“I’ve had him about three months,” Jerkens said of Real Estate. “He trained very well. I think he can probably win a cheap race.”