2-year-old Simplification blows 'em away to the tune of a 92 Beyer

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There were three handicap races run here Saturday, but the star of the day and the latest talk of the town came out of an innocuous-looking 2-year-old maiden event midway through the afternoon’s 10-race program. A modestly bred juvenile named Simplification dominated eight rivals by 16 3/4 lengths, drawing off with every stride through the stretch despite never switching off his left lead.

His final time of 1:09.81 for six furlongs earned Simplification a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, equaling the number posted by the more-experienced Octane for winning the In Reality Stakes four weeks earlier as the best by a 2-year-old here this season.

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Simplification is a Florida-bred son of Not This Time out of the stakes-placed mare Simply Confection. He is trained by Antonio Sano for owner Tami Bobo, and came into Saturday’s race having made one previous start, finishing fifth over the Tapeta track on Oct. 1. Simplification posted two subsequent works over the main course, including five furlongs in 1:00.80 a week before Saturday’s race, galloping out a full seven furlongs in 1:26.80.

“I bought him privately off the farm from the breeders during the spring and sent him to Antonio about four months ago,” said Bobo. “I am a pinhooker, and sometimes you just have to go on and run some, and God willing in this case it seems it may pay off. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the race with offers to buy the horse, and with the money being offered it’s hard not to entertain the thought to sell. Obviously he hated the synthetic track the first time and Saturday he ran over the surface he belonged on. The fact he didn’t changed leads just indicates to me he wasn’t tired, that he was comfortable where he was, and just how much talent he really has. No telling how far he would have won by had he switched off.”

Simplification’s Beyer Figure of 92 was three points higher than the older and vastly more accomplished Girolamo’s Attack received for capturing the $60,000 Miami Beach Handicap over the late-running Glory of Florida later in the day. Sent off at 8-1 under Edgard Zayas, Girolamo’s Attack shocked many observers with the win, including his own trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr.

“To be honest with you, it was a big surprise to me that he won,” said Joseph. “This was a tough race. I thought if he ran his best, he could be close. Then he acted up in the gate and I thought everything was done. But he was impressive. At the quarter pole it looked like he was going to win pretty easily, and at the sixteenth pole I thought he might get beat. That other horse was coming to him and that’s where Edgard really made the difference. He got him to engage and find a bit more.”

Joseph said he has no idea where Girolamo’s Attack might run back.

“Since I never figured he’d win, I was really expecting to run him back in the same two-other-than allowance races he’d been running in,” Joseph said with a laugh. “I think we’ve learned some things about this horse, so now we’ll just have to see.”