Back Em Up seeks first stakes win in Wildcat Red
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For a fleeting moment last month, it appeared Back Em Up, who runs Friday in the $70,000 Wildcat Red on the dirt at Gulfstream Park, had nailed down the first stakes win of his career. The occasion was the Big Drama Handicap, and Back Em Up was shuttling up the rail in a race in which a nose separated the first two finishers.
“Everybody said we won it,” recalled Bobby Dibona, who trains Back Em Up. “The girls were kissing me and the guys were high-fiving me and, meanwhile, they hung the other number up. So it was a tough beat, but he’s turned into a pretty nice horse.”
Back Em Up could go favored in the 10-horse Wildcat Red, a one-turn mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up that shares a card with the $100,000 Sharp Susan for 2-year-old fillies.
Back Em Up was racing over seven furlongs in the Big Drama and also should be effective at the one-mile trip Friday based on his effort in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper in January at Gulfstream.
“He was second to Knightsbridge, so I don’t think the mile’s a problem,” Dibona said. “He’s been wanting to come off it a little bit, even though he’s very fast. But he’ll be a little more forwardly placed than Steal Sunshine.”
Dibona also trains entrant Steal Sunshine, a past winner of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile.
“Most of his wins have been in the one[-turn] mile at Gulfstream,” Dibona said. “I think he’s won six. We need to have a little bit of pace to run at. If someone walks the dog and slows it down to a 25[-second] quarter, he doesn’t need that. I won the Carry Back with him going seven-eighths and they went three-quarters in 1:09 and he ran them down, so he needs some pace to run at.”
Steal Sunshine is coming off a runner-up finish in a 1 1/16-mile allowance May 31 at Gulfstream. Diego Herrera has the mount from post 6.
Back Em Up will start from post 8 under Samy Camacho. He owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, an 89.
“We’ll see how it turns out,” Dibona said. “But they’re very nice horses. They’re well-spotted. They’re coming in in good shape and, you know, we’ll see if we get a little lucky.”
Others set to start include supplements Racing Driver and Roar of the Beast.
Sharp Susan
Earlier on the card, a field of eight juvenile fillies will go 5 1/2 furlongs in the Sharp Susan.
Hot Rod Honey could go favored for winning her debut last out with a race-high Beyer Speed Figure of 67. She will start from the rail under Leonel Reyes.
Elegante Miz, another debut winner, will add blinkers in what is a high-percentage equipment move for trainer Patrick Biancone, who’s won with 25 percent of such starters. She breaks from post 4 under Keith Asmussen.
Boots, an additional debut winner in the field, has since been flattered. The runner-up in her win, Celtic Dispute, returned in her next start to win the Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream.
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