Amelia's Wild Ride takes Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint

Amelia’s Wild Ride rallied between horses to post a well-earned victory Saturday in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park in south Florida.

With Jose Lezcano aboard, Amelia’s Wild Ride rated a couple of lengths off a fast pace before gradually wearing down the front-runners and holding off Summation Time by a half-length. Jewel of a Cat and Simon Bar Sinister finished in a dead heat for third, another half-length back.

Amelia’s Wild Ride, a 5-year-old horse by D’wildcat, returned $8.20 as the second choice after finishing the five-furlong distance in 58.51 seconds over a turf course rated “good.” The victory was the 10th in 32 career starts for Amelia’s Wild Ride and lifted his bankroll past the $500,000 mark. He is owned by Silver Trail Stables LLC.

“It wasn’t the way I really planned the race to be,” Lezcano told Gulfstream publicity afterward. “Three or four of the horses had more speed than him, so I let them go to the lead and sat on him. Finally, at the three-sixteenths pole, it opened up, and he was able to go. He’s a very nice horse, all class. He’s got a good finish.”

Pure Sensation, the morning-line favorite for trainer Christophe Clement, was among two early scratches, leaving a field of 10 older Florida-breds. A remaining Clement starter, Summation Time, wound up the 2-1 favorite while encountering a couple of tight spots prior to unleashing an outside run that came up just shy.

Chloe Bradley is listed as the trainer of Amelia’s Wild Ride in the absence of Ramon Preciado, who is serving a suspension for medication violations last summer in Delaware.

Amelia’s Wild Ride competed exclusively in stakes last season while winning three of 10 races, including the Gulfstream Turf Sprint in February and the off-the-turf Woodford at Keeneland in October. His earnings stand at $545,230.