Dutrow runners look live as he approaches career milestone
Tony Dutrow hopes the maiden victory by the 3-year-old filly Juniper’s Moon in Saturday’s finale at Tampa Bay Downs is a harbinger of what’s to come Thursday at Gulfstream Park as the trainer closes in on a career milestone.
At Tampa, Juniper’s Moon went gate to wire, defeating 11 rivals and giving Dutrow his 1,998th career victory.
Dutrow’s next two runners are Thursday when he sends out La Mazel and Galileo’s Jewel in split divisions of a maiden turf race for 3-year-old fillies going 7 1/2 furlongs on a Gulfstream card that features solely maidens and claimers.
La Mazel, in the first, and Galileo’s Jewel, in the fifth, represent present Dutrow’s first starters at Gulfstream Park in five years. This winter, Dutrow is based at Tampa, with a handful of horses remaining in New York.
La Mazel, a daughter of Justify out of the two-time Grade 3 winner Starstruck, finished fourth in both of her starts last summer at Saratoga. In her debut, she broke slow, was last for the opening half-mile and flattened out after making a strong middle move and trying to rally seven wide in the lane. Pink Hue won the race for trainer Chad Brown but has been sidelined since. Delight, third in that race, came back to win her maiden and the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland.
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In her second start, La Mazel again trailed the field and again finished fourth, 8 1/4 lengths behind Free Look. That race produced four next-out winners including Thirty Thou Kelvin who came back to win a second time Sunday at Gulfstream.
“I was trying to get them out there for the experience. Here it is six months later and the filly, she’s much more aggressive,” Dutrow said of La Mazel.
Dutrow popped both La Mazel and Galileo’s Jewel out of the gate together at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday.
“I anticipate her breaking well, getting a good position going into the first turn,” Dutrow said. “She’s matured, has plenty of pedigree to back her talent up. I’m hopeful that I’ll see a different horse than we saw back in August.”
Both of La Mazel’s defeats came to fillies trained by Chad Brown, who in this spot has the debuting Delahaye, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro and the first foal out of the unraced War Front mare Bella Carina.
Trainer Christophe Clement has the first-time starter Love Appeal while trainer Fausto Gutierrez sends out Penumbras Maker, who has a second and third in two starts over the Gulfstream turf.
In race 5, Dutrow sends out Galileo’s Jewel for her second career start. She debuted Nov. 4 at Aqueduct, showing some late interest to finish third behind Candle and Sweetlou’sgotaces going six furlongs. Sweetlou’sgotaces came back to win the Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct as a maiden.
“She’s bred to go long. I got a short race in her which was better than nothing, and she did finish up,” Dutrow said. “I wouldn’t see why she wouldn’t go down there and perform well.”
Galileo’s Jewel will likely have to beat the Brown-trained firster Accept the Outcome, a daughter of No Nay Never who shows a steady series of works at Payson Park.
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