Florida notes: Apprentice Worrie breaks through with unusual double
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jockey Andre Worrie showed up at work on Sunday still looking for his first career victory. A couple of hours later, Worrie had not one but two winners on his r é sum é after registering an unusual riding double comprising victories at two different tracks within little more than an hour.
Worrie, 19, posted memorable career win No. 1 when guiding Repentless Lady to an easy 8 1/4-length triumph in Sunday’s second race at Calder. Worrie, a native of Jamaica, had little time to celebrate. After washing off the shaving cream, which came courtesy of the traditional dousing he received from his fellow riders for winning his first race, Worrie made the eight mile, 15-minute car ride to Gulfstream where a short while later he won the third race in front-running fashion aboard Sweetly Put.
Both Repentless Lady and Sweetly Put are trained by Aubrey Maragh.
Worrie galloped horses for two years in preparation for launching his riding career earlier this summer. He supplemented his income by working as a security guard at Gulfstream Park.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Worrie, following Sweetly Put’s triumph. “I won two races in one day and I’ve ridden less than 10 horses. Hopefully this will be the start of a promising career.”
Worrie’s book is being handled by Kevin Syken.
Speechify overcoming problems
Speechify, who defied all odds just making it to the races, ran his record to a perfect 2 for 2 after rallying to a very convincing allowance victory in Sunday’s main event at Gulfstream Park for jockey Juan Leyva and trainer Ralph Nicks.
According to Barry Irwin, whose Team Valor International owns Speechify, the 3-year-old gelded son of Harlan’s Holiday had both physical and mental issues that compromised his career.
“This horse has had some serious emotional and mental issues, that’s why he’s a gelding,” said Irwin. “In addition, he’s got what is called a constriction in his esophagus, and if you don’t feed him properly he’ll choke to death. We got him ready on Tony Everard’s Another Episode Farm in Ocala, where they did a great job with him. When he was finally ready to go to the racetrack, I sent him to Ralph because I felt of all the trainers I’ve had, he’s the best horseman, and if there’s any shot, he’ll know how to take care of him. And he’s done an amazing job. The fact this horse ever made it to the races is a plus. The fact he’s done this is off the charts.”
Nicks said that Speechify, who had won his only previous start by 10 lengths this summer, is bedded on a special material rather than straw, gets no hay, and has a diet that he describes, for lack of a better word, as “soup.”
“When you see his diet, you wonder how he looks as good as he does,” Nicks said. “I think this race was actually even more impressive than the first because he had actually had to do a little something, show some gears, and run a little bit today.”
Nicks and Irwin said they would wait to see how Speechify came out of the race before deciding where he might run next.
Csaba vs. Where’s Sterling
Csaba and Where’s Sterling are expected to vie for favoritism in Saturday’s $100,000 Quality Road Stakes at Gulfstream. Csaba is back home after finishing off the board in two starts this summer at Saratoga, including the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap. Where’s Sterling has captured two of his three starts this year, with his lone loss a tough neck setback at the hands of Sr. Quisqueyano in the Eight Miles East Stakes on Aug. 24.
Sr. Quisqueyano will also run in the 1 1/16-mile Quality Road, along with Joshua’s Comprise, No Lift Shift, Colizeo, and Isutalkintome.
◗ Construction continues on a $4 million structure that will contain 380 new stalls to house horses for the 2013-14 championship meet, which begins on Dec. 1. The building, which measures 600 feet long by 84 feet wide, is hurricane resistant and is expected to be ready to start accepting horses before Nov. 1. It is located on the south side of the Gulfstream grandstand in the parking lot adjacent to the 6 1/2 furlong pole.