Eye of a Jedi brings graded-stakes form to Friday allowance
Eye of a Jedi heads a stakes-quality field running in an allowance race that will serve as the feature race at Gulfstream Park Friday. The one-mile race for 4-year-olds and up drew a classy field of six horses and goes as race 5 on a nine-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Trained by Steve Budhoo, Eye of a Jedi is making his first start since he won the Grade 3, $100,000 Ghostzapper at Gulfstream on March 27. He received a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for his 5 1/2-length win over Last Judgment in the mile and an eighth race. Last Judgment came back to win the Grade 3 Pimlico Special with a 100 Beyer before finishing second to Knicks Go in the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows.
“We were looking at the Pimlico Special for Eye of a Jedi’s next race, but because of COVID we stayed home,” said Budhoo.
Eye of a Jedi was coming off a similar layoff when he finished second in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday Dec. 12, and his bullet four-furlong move out of the gate in 46.60 seconds Sept. 11 suggests the 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Eye of the Leopard is ready to fire another big shot coming off the bench.
“He is training well, does everything right, and he always gives 110 percent,” said Budhoo. “He should run a good race.”
Eye of a Jedi will be running in a non-graded race for the first time since he won the $60,000 Sea of Tranquility at Gulfstream in July 2020 for the second straight year. In his start after the Harlan’s Holiday, he finished second by a neck to Performer in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper and then fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile.
He will break from post 4 with Leonel Reyes up.
If Eye of a Jedi does not fire, it is anybody’s race.
The Laura Cazares-trained Glory of Florida rallied to win a conditioned allowance race Aug. 15, and other than Eye of a Jedi, he beat the same group of horses he is facing in this spot.
The runner-up Aug. 15 was Cool Arrow, who won the Grade 3 Smile Sprint for trainer Terri Pompay last year and is a three-time winner going a mile. Cool Arrow will try to snap an eight-race winless streak in Friday’s feature.
Squeezadios, also trained by Pompay, dueled early before finishing third while making his first start of the year in the Aug. 15 race. He could take a big step forward with a race under his belt with leading rider Edgard Zayas retaining the mount.
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Scar should improve in his second start following a layoff. Trained by Steve Klesaris, the 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding by Kantharos did not break that sharply in the Aug. 15 race, and was squeezed back approaching the turn. He won a first-level allowance race with a $25,000 claiming option May 28 in his previous start. Scar could be dangerous if he can clear early from his outside post.
Quenane, fifth in the common race, has won 13 races including two stakes since trainer Tamara Levy claimed him for $6,250 in 2017.