Chess Master dangerous at a price
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It might appear that Chess Master has gone off form, but not so fast. The 7-year-old has legitimate excuses for his last two starts, and owner-trainer Kerri Raven gives him a big chance to return to top form in the Thursday feature at Gulfstream Park.
Chess Master is part of an oversubscribed field in the eighth of nine races, an $87,000 allowance at five furlongs on turf. Twelve older horses are entered, but only as many as 10 can start.
Chess Master was not a serious factor when last taking the 4 1/2-hour van ride from his Tampa Bay Downs base to Gulfstream for the Janus on Dec. 24, but that was when the gelding was not treated with Lasix because of the Gulfstream ban on the bleeder medication for all stakes. He’ll get Lasix on Thursday.
“It seems like he’s always flat when he doesn’t get Lasix,” said Raven, who has sent out Chess Master to win 8 of 22 starts – including the Tampa Turf Dash last February with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure – since she claimed him on her own behalf for $32,000 on Jan. 23, 2021. “It’s not that he bleeds [internally], but he just doesn’t fire.”
In his latest race Jan. 8 at Tampa, Chess Master was out of his element when going a mile, attending the pace before fading to sixth.
“It’s pretty difficult to get him in, so I tried a mile with him,” said Raven, who regularly exercises all the horses in her five-horse stable. “He actually did pretty well but got tired at the end.”
:: Get ready for Gulfstream Park racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.
Chess Master is one of four horses entered Thursday for an optional $62,500 tag that’s part of the hybrid conditions. He’s listed at 15-1 on the morning line, with Agent Peter Graves a lukewarm 5-2 choice in what appears to be a well-matched group. Chess Master, as a Florida-bred, is eligible for his share of $14,000 in statebred bonuses assimilated into the total purse.
Jose Ferrer, still going strong at age 58, also will travel across the Florida peninsula to ride Chess Master from post 4. Ferrer won the Wayward Lass on Saturday at Tampa aboard Tap Dance Fever.
The Thursday feature is part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 4-9), which began the five-day race week Wednesday with a jackpot carryover of $282,245 and a pool guarantee of $400,000. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
Ortiz escapes more days
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was held blameless by the Gulfstream stewards for his role in the disqualification of his mount, Sweet Penelope, in the third race Friday. The mare was placed fifth for deep-stretch interference after finishing third in the bottom-level, $6,250 claiming race.
Ortiz will return to action Friday after sitting out the three preceding Gulfstream programs when serving a suspension stemming from a Dec. 31 riding infraction.
Ortiz is widely expected to honored as the outstanding jockey of 2022 at the Jan. 26 Eclipse Awards at The Breakers in Palm Beach. It would be the fourth time in five years he has won the Eclipse (2018-19-20).
Agent Steve Rushing has confirmed Ortiz’s mounts for the highlights of the big Jan. 28 card at Gulfstream. He’ll ride Defunded for Bob Baffert in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup; Colonel Liam for Todd Pletcher in the $1 million Pegasus Turf; and Shantisara for Chad Brown in the $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf.
All Pegasus Day entries will be drawn Sunday.
Sunshine Classic canceled
After drawing just three entries, the $75,000 Sunshine Classic scheduled for Saturday will not be run as planned and will not be brought back for a future date. Instead, the lone Saturday feature will be the $75,000 Sunshine Turf, which drew seven Florida-breds as the sixth of 11 races.
Two Sunshine events were run here last Saturday, with Lightening Larry earning an 87 Beyer Speed Figure after going gate-to-wire in the $75,000 Sprint and Sweet Dani Girl getting an 80 in a successful grass debut in the $75,000 Filly and Mare Turf.
Carlo Vaccarezza, the breeder-owner-trainer of Sweet Dani Girl, watched from Kentucky, where he said he remains “crazy busy” with his restaurant business.
“Now we have more options with this filly, which is great,” he said Monday.
◗ English Bee earned a 92 Beyer when edging favored Mouillage in the feature race last Friday at Gulfstream off a layoff of nearly eight months. Trained throughout a 28-race career by Graham Motion, the 7-year-old Calumet Farm homebred was making his first start since being gelded last July. He now has earned $559,550.
◗ Tyler Gaffalione and Junior Alvarado both started this week at Gulfstream just three victories away from the 2,000-win milestone. Coincidentally, Florent Geroux, a winter regular at Fair Grounds, also began this week with 1,997 career wins.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.