Two proven stakes runners out of Christophe Clement’s barn will stick around Florida a little longer to run in the $75,000 Monroe Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Ozara, a 4-year-old filly, and Breath Away, a 5-year-old mare, both had consistent stints in Florida this winter and should be strong contenders at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Miguel Clement, his father’s assistant trainer currently based in Florida, is encouraged by their progress heading into the Monroe. “On paper, you’re guaranteed to get firm turf and they’re both based in Florida,” Miguel Clement said. “It’s a no-brainer, if you have another black-type event in Florida, to take one more swing before shipping up north.” The assistant trainer’s biggest concerns Saturday are his horses’ post positions. Breath Away will break from post 7, while Ozara will run even wider from post 9. Both could get stuck on the outside around the first turn, but Clement hopes that enlisting experienced riders will mitigate the risk. Emisael Jaramillo will ride Ozara, while Paco Lopez has the mount on Breath Away. Breath Away began her 4-year-old campaign in May 2024, racing in New York until December. In Florida over the winter, she finished fifth in the Grade 3 Suwannee River at Gulfstream and fourth in the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa Bay Downs. She returned to Gulfstream last month and finished third in the Sand Springs. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. “Breath Away is very consistent and always runs a gallant race,” Clement said. “The filly has been training forwardly in Florida. I ultimately decided to go for one more dance here.” Ozara returned to racing in January and won a $54,000 allowance at Tampa Bay Downs before finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Honey Fox at Gulfstream last month. Jaramillo traveled to the Payson Park training center several times this month to prepare her for this race. Even if 6-year-old front-runner Swoonatra breaks sharply from the rail, stretch-runners like Breath Away and Ozara still won’t have much to help them along from off the pace. They won’t be the only classy runners trying to get involved late either. Life’s an Audible, a 4-year-old filly trained by Todd Pletcher, will stretch out to 1 1/16 miles after finishing ninth in the Grade 3 Honey Fox last month. She ran at this distance at Gulfstream last year when she won the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant as a 3-year-old. De Regreso, a 4-year-old filly trained by Antonio Sano, will make her first start since finishing 11th in the Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational in January. Running against better competition that day, she bled and needed time off to get back in condition, Sano said. Before that, she ran well to finish third in two Gulfstream stakes last year. Sano also will enter the 6-year-old mare Sensitivity, who won a $45,000 allowance at Gulfstream earlier this month. Jockey Rajiv Maragh, who recently returned to the saddle after a long hiatus, will ride the outsider with a chance to win his first stakes race since November 2019. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.