First-timer Pure Class has win-early pedigree
Pure Class brings a highly fashionable pedigree into Gulfstream Park’s fifth race on Saturday.
The 2-year-old is a full brother to both Big and Classy, a Gulfstream standout who is 7 for 9 in 2023, and Sassy Beast, winner of the $150,000 Andy Guest at Colonial Downs in July.
Pure Class debuts in a six-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds bred in Florida. The Saturday card also includes a $35,000 starter allowance led by Uncle B and a first-level allowance for fillies and mares bred in Florida.
Pure Class, a homebred for Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, brings a win-early pedigree to the races. He’s by The Big Beast, a Grade 1 winner at seven furlongs for the Lieblongs who is getting 23 percent juvenile debut winners and 21 percent 2-year-old winners overall. Pure Class is out of I’mclassyandsassy, who was a debut winner and stakes-placed at 2, also for the Lieblongs.
I’mclassyandsassy has four foals by The Big Beast who have raced, and all are winners, with three of them winning at 2. Big and Classy has registered his seven wins this year at Gulfstream and track publicity has reported he is tied as the winningest horse of 2023. Sassy Beast was a winner at 2 and picked up her first stakes win at 5 this summer in the Andy Guest. She is 8 for 19 in her career, the same record as Big and Classy.
I’mclassyandsassy has produced an additional eight-time winner in Family Biz, who is by Fed Biz. Family Biz placed in a pair of stakes, and overall earned $431,646.
David Fawkes, who wins at an above average rate with 2-year-olds, trains Pure Class. The first-time starter will break from post 6 under Edwin Gonzalez. As part of the prep work for his debut, Pure Class worked five furlongs from the gate in 1:01.69 on Aug. 26 at Gulfstream.
Other runners of note in the nine-horse field include Themanupfront, who is making his second start. He caught a wet track in his debut and finished fifth in the slop Aug. 4. The third-place finisher from the race, Esperon, came back to win at the same level in his next out at Gulfstream.
Themanupfront is by Coal Front, a young stallion who is getting 23 percent 2-year-old winners from a limited sample. Themanupfront is a half-brother to Cajun Casanova, a stakes winner at 2 and 3 who has earned more than $330,000. Themanupfront breaks from post 9 for trainer Michael Yates, who wins at an above average rate with 2-year-olds, according to Daily Racing Form statistics.
◗ In the sixth race, Uncle B will be looking for his second straight win over the Tapeta at Gulfstream. He enters the five-furlong sprint on Tapeta off a win at a similar level July 23. One start prior, he was stakes-placed on Tapeta. Leonel Reyes has the mount for trainer Scott Acker.
◗ In the ninth race, Lovin Makes Cents, Heir to the Roar, and Gitana, are chief contenders in a first-level allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares at five furlongs on Tapeta.
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