Choose Joy looks tough on favorite turf course in Golden Beach

Choose Joy figures to be among the favorites in the $75,000 Golden Beach on Sunday at Gulfstream Park. After all, the 7-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Munnings has finished first or second in all 11 of her starts going the five-furlong distance of the Golden Beach, and they all came over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

An overnight handicap, the Golden Beach attracted nine older fillies and mares, with Choose Joy assigned to be the highweight at 122 pounds. It goes as race 9 on a 10-race program that kicks off at 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Steven Dwoskin, Choose Joy has compiled a record of 9-7-1 from 23 starts, and with earnings of $397,775 she is easily the top money earner in the field. One of her victories came in the 2021 Golden Beach, where she rallied from last to win going away. In her latest start in the $115,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint on Feb. 11 at Gulfstream, she came from sixth to finish second behind Stone Silent. It was similar to her runner-up effort behind Stone Silence in the $125,000 Abundantia on Dec. 31. A razor-sharp Stone Silent completed the hat trick when she captured the $114,000 Captiva Island on March 24.

After missing all of 2022, Choose Joy won twice last year. With an honest pace to run at, she figures to be in the mix once again in deep stretch Sunday. She will break from post 2 with leading rider Miguel Vasquez aboard.

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The Laura Cazares-trained St. Pat’s Day will be among the early leaders, and the 91 Beyer Speed Figure she received for her front-running win in a second-level allowance March 3 is the best career figure in the field. However, the 5-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Valiant Minister came right back for the same condition March 31, and after holding a two-length advantage at the quarter pole retreated to finish sixth. Nonetheless, the versatile six-time winner could be dangerous from either a stalking position or the lead if she breaks on top from post 8 with Edgard Zayas taking over from Paco Lopez.

Lopez rides the 4-year-old Beauty of the Sea, who makes her first start of the year for trainer Joe Orseno.

In her best start last year, Beauty of the Sea came from a stalking position to win the $104,000 Blue Sparkler on July 15 at Monmouth Park. She closed her sophomore campaign with two dull efforts in the $150,000 Galway on Aug. 12 at Saratoga and the $125,000 Glen Cove on Oct. 18 at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

Sol Hope, trained by Mary Lightner, is looking for her first victory at Gulfstream. A 5-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Soldat, Sol Hope is a four-time sprint winner on turf at Colonial Downs and her latest win came going five furlongs on the Tampa Bay turf course Feb. 9. She is coming off a third-place finish in the Captiva Island.

Call Me Spicy should be rolling late and could get up in time with Joe Bravo riding for Orseno.

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