Dance to My Song gears up for stakes

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Dance to My Song has been one of the most notable 2-year-old winners to emerge from the Lone Star Park meet, which will close Sunday. He distinguished himself last month, when he won his debut with a Beyer Speed Figure of 71.

The number ranks as the best put up by a 2-year-old at the meet through at least last Saturday.

Dance to My Song won the maiden special weight by a length under Lindey Wade June 10 at Lone Star. Dance to My Song worked back July 12 and is gearing up for the $65,000 My Dandy Division of the Texas Stallion Stakes on Aug. 15 at Retama Park, trainer George R. Bryant said.

“We breezed him a half-mile, real easy,” Bryant said. “That’s his first breeze since the race. I gave him a little time there. ”

Dance to My Song won the maiden race going five furlongs, and the six furlongs of the Texas Stallion should benefit him.

“He’s a big old thing,” Bryant said. “He’s 17 hands tall and he weighs a good 1,100 pounds. We call him Baby Huey.

“That was only five furlongs the other day, and he got up there at the end and that’s really way too short for him. He needs to go farther. It will be better. But I was proud of him. He ran a big race there. For a big horse, he’s quick. He showed some quickness there, but it looks like he’s going to like the two turns later on.”

The Grey Dehere finished second to Dance to My Song and returned to win a maiden special weight at Lone Star. He is entered in Friday night’s $65,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows.

Bryant said Dance to My Song will ship from Lone Star to Retama for the Texas Stallion Stakes, then later next month will be based at Remington Park. Bryant will have a stable of horses there for the first time. He said he has 18 stalls at Remington, which opens Aug. 24.

“He’s an accredited Oklahoma-bred, so we’d like to run him in the Oklahoma-bred stakes up at Remington,” Bryant said.

Bryant trains Dance to My Song for HTD Allied Management. The horse was a $19,000 purchase at the Texas Thoroughbred Association auction of 2-year-olds in training in April at Lone Star. He is by My Golden Song and his dam, the Wimbledon daughter Daphne Angela, was a three-time stakes winner who earned $233,644.

Bryant said he’s got five 2-year-olds with more coming in.

My Bling will debut for HDT Allied Management and Bryant on Thursday night in the fifth race at Lone Star. He’s a son of leading Texas stallion Too Much Bling and the More Than Ready mare My Girl Bess. My Bling had his final work July 12, going a half-mile in 48.40 seconds, third fastest move at the distance that morning at Lone Star.

“He worked real good, worked out of the gate by himself,” Bryant said. “He’s a big, good-made colt. He’s got good size and good balance to him. I really like him.”

Another 2-year-old for the barn is Sparkling Air, who runs in the sixth race Saturday at Lone Star. She is by Too Much Bling and is a half-sister to Grade 3 Texas Mile winner Texas Air. Bryant trains the filly for her breeder, Paul Rigali Jr.

“We’ve got high hopes for her,” Bryant said.

Bryant is a mainstay in the region, and his 37-year-old son, also named George Bryant, recently was voted second vice president of the board of directors of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.