Clean break could make difference for Steal Sunshine in Gulfstream Mile

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Tumbarumba, Castle Chaos, and Steal Sunshine put on quite a show, finishing first, second, and third – less than a length separating the trio – in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper Stakes on the Pegasus World Cup undercard and appeared destined for a much-anticipated rematch in Saturday’s $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile.

Unfortunately, although all three were entered back in the Grade 2 fixture, only Tumbarumba and Steal Sunshine will return. Castle Chaos shipped out earlier in the week to run instead in Saturday’s Stymie at Aqueduct.

Although Tumbarumba won the Hooper, outfinishing Castle Chaos by a nose, it is Steal Sunshine that trip players will likely set their sights on when the pair squares off again Saturday.

Steal Sunshine stumbled and came out awkwardly at the start of the Hooper, worked his way forward along the rail through the middle stages of the race, and angled about seven or eight wide under jockey Paco Lopez turning into the stretch before finishing resolutely down the center of the track despite not switching off his left lead until the sixteenth pole.

“Last time he was kind of just playing around in the gate and pretty much got left,” trainer Bobby Dibona explained. “From there, obviously, it wasn’t the greatest trip, but he came on with big energy at the end and in another jump or two I think we had [Tumbarumba]. We’ve been schooling him a little at the gate ever since the race. I have him ready, all I want is for him to break clean this time.”

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Tumbarumba parlayed a perfect pace-stalking trip into his first graded stakes victory in the Hooper under jockey Luis Saez, who has now won three of the last four times he’s ridden the improving gelding and will be back aboard Saturday. With the race lacking much in the way of any real early speed, Tumbarumba could find himself among the pace players.

“He’s never been as good as he is right now,” trainer Brian Lynch said of Tumbarumba.

The most intriguing member of the field is Wit, who was a two-time graded stakes winner on dirt earlier in his career before campaigning primarily on grass since August 2022. Wit was third most recently in the off-the-turf Belmont Turf Sprint over a sloppy Aqueduct main track in October. He is trained by Todd Pletcher, who is seeking a record seventh victory in the Gulfstream Park Mile.

“He’s a versatile horse, he runs well on turf and dirt, and he’s shown he can handle a mile,” said Pletcher when asked about his decision to launch Wit’s 2024 campaign on the main track. “Putting him in this race was a tough call. We could have gone 7 1/2 furlongs in an allowance on the grass or run in the Canadian Turf but ended up in here instead. I’m thinking at the moment maybe to continue him on dirt if all goes well in this one because it gives him some added options moving forward this season.”

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Il Miracolo will seeks to get back on the winning track for the first time since capturing the Grade 3 Smarty Jones on Aug. 22 at Parx Racing. He will be getting some class relief Saturday after finishing a tiring sixth, 14 lengths behind National Treasure, in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup here five weeks earlier.

Shaq Diesel, Ticking, and Gilmore round out the lineup.

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