Clement's Stormy Victoria, Celestine finish 1-2 in South Beach

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The uncoupled Christophe Clement pair of Stormy Victoria and Celestine was the winning exacta after the turf-course dust cleared Saturday in the ninth running of the $125,000 South Beach at Gulfstream Park.

Celestine, the 2-1 favorite in a field of 11 fillies and mares, charged to the lead with less than a furlong remaining in the 7 1/2-furlong race, but she could not withstand the outside rush of Stormy Victoria, who returned $8.60 as second choice when finishing in 1:29.03 over firm going.

Joel Rosario was content to trail aboard Stormy Victoria until late in the final turn, cutting his mount loose with a torrid outside rally that netted the gray 6-year-old mare her sixth victory from 22 career starts. She won by three-quarters of a length, with Celestine kicking 2 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher I’m Betty G.

“I let her settle and she was going well for me,” Rosario said. “When I set her down she really responded.”

Stormy Victoria, owned by Tango Uniform Racing and the Elkstone Group LLC, is a French-bred daughter of Stormy River. She was coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 My Charmer at Gulfstream last month.

The $2 exacta (9-11) paid $30.20, the $1 trifecta (9-11-2) returned $149.50, and the 10-cent superfecta (9-11-2-6) was worth $96.60.

The South Beach directly preceded the Pegasus World Cup as the last of seven undercard stakes on a 12-race card.