Capture Your Dream, Cajun Firecracker take opening legs in Florida Sire Stakes

One 3-5 favorite came through after another failed Saturday as the 2018 Florida Sire Stakes series got under way at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Capture Your Dream, making her first start under the gold-and-blue silks of John C. Oxley, outran 13 other 2-year-old fillies in the $100,000 Desert Vixen at a $3.40 mutuel. Some 30 minutes earlier, previously unbeaten Fully Loaded faltered at 3-5 in the colt-and-gelding counterpart, the $100,000 Dr. Fager, which was won by Cajun Firecracker. Both races were run at six furlongs on a fast main track.

Capture Your Dream overtook longshot Cookie Dough turning for home, then proceeded to turn back Nancysaidso before holding off a belated run from 10-1 shot Select Friday to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths. The daughter of Uncaptured finished in 1:11.31.

“She ran a heck of a race today,” said winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione. “She broke good, put herself in a good spot, and showed she can relax. It was a big effort.”

Capture Your Dream won her May 13 debut at Gulfstream by 10 1/2 lengths for her previous trainer Anna Varsi, after which Oxley bought majority interest from the filly’s breeder and original owner, Kathy Machesky, who stayed in for a part. Mark Casse took over the training after the deal was consummated.

In the Dr. Fager, Cajun Firecracker and jockey Miguel Vasquez surged late to prevail by a neck despite incurring interference from a leg-weary Fully Loaded with about 70 yards remaining.

Trained by Michael Yates for owner-breeder Shadybrook Farm, Cajun Firecracker returned $16.20 after finishing in 1:09.94. A bay colt by Cajun Breeze, the winner is now unbeaten in two starts after capturing his April debut at Gulfstream.

“He’s shown ability and has a great mind,” said Yates. “The racing gods are with us.”

Following a stewards’ inquiry, Fully Loaded was disqualified from second to third for causing a chain reaction in which he veered out sharply and forced Cajun Firecracker into the path of late-closing Garter and Tie, a 24-1 shot who thereby was awarded second through the stewards’ change of the official order.

This is the 37th year for the Florida Sire Stakes, formerly known as the Florida Stallion Stakes. The series has been run annually since being inaugurated in 1982 at the old Calder (now Gulfstream West) by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association.

Gulfstream officials reported all-sources handle on the 13-race Saturday program to be nearly $9.6 million, a 13 percent increase over the Florida Sire Stakes opener last year. Handle for the series opener has risen each of the last four years, from $6.2 million in 2015.

Subsequent legs in the 2018 series are the $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl (both seven furlongs) on Sept. 1, and the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl (both 1 1/16 miles) on Sept. 29.

Friday sweep of Rainbow 6

As the last two races on a 13-race card, the Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen ended the Rainbow 6 sequence Saturday – but that was something of a moot point after a huge jackpot was drained Friday.

One winning 20-cent ticket worth $734,403 was sold Friday, with an improbable 33-1 shot helping to empty a jackpot that had not been swept since the 56-day summer meet began July 1.

Just $134,108 in new money was bet into a Single 6 pool that began the day with a $627,139 carryover. The winning numbers (on races 4-9) were 5-1-7-7-8-9, and their respective win odds were 3-1, 5-2, 5-2, 33-1, 8-5, and 6-1.

Gulfstream officials reported Friday night that the winning ticket was purchased in Las Vegas and cost $453.60.

The winning 33-1 shot in the sequence was Blue Whale in race 7 for trainer Jaime Mejia.