Florida notes: Ribo Bobo targets Maryland Million, Claiming Crown

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jason Servis could roll the dice and take his amazing former claimer Ribo Bobo to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. After all, the gelded son of Louis Quatorze has won all eight of his starts this season, at distances ranging from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 furlongs, including Monmouth Park’s Icecapade Stakes late this summer.

But Servis has opted to take the more conservative route, with Gulfstream Park’s Claiming Crown Express his primary goal to end the season following a quick stop at Laurel Park en route to Florida for Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint.

Servis claimed Ribo Bobo for $8,000 in the name of Mr. Amore Stable, lost him for $6,250, and then took him back again for the same price last winter at Gulfstream. All the while, the speedy gelding just keeps winning. His eight consecutive victories include starter allowance wins at Calder, Penn National, and Parx, along with his easy five-length tally at Monmouth in the Icecapade.

“He’s got some issues, and I wasn’t that concerned when I lost him last winter,” Servis said. “But my owner said to go back in for him. We got lucky to win a six-way shake, and he’s really settled into our program ever since.”

Servis plans to bring a string of 25 horses down to Gulfstream for the championship meet, which begins on Nov. 30. He said he has at least three other horses to run in the Dec. 7 Claiming Crown, which will be decided at Gulfstream for the second straight season.

“I’d like to get them all down there as early as I can to give them plenty of time to acclimate,” Servis said. “But when I found out Ribo Bobo was also eligible for the Maryland Million race, I decided to stop off on the way and run him there Saturday before continuing on to Palm Meadows.”

Wildcat Red comes through

You don’t see too many 1-10 favorites around these parts, but on Sunday those were the odds on the promising 2-year-old Wildcat Red, who remained perfect in two starts with a 1 1/2-length triumph over stubborn pacesetter Elusive Blueboy in a first-level allowance dash going six furlongs. Wildcat Red is a son of D’wildcat trained by Jose Garoffalo for Honors Stable Corp. He had won his only previous start by eight widening lengths four weeks earlier.

“The race on Sunday was six furlongs, but I really think he’s better at 6 1/2 furlongs or longer – he wants more distance,” Garoffalo said. “I just didn’t have any other place to run him at the moment. But I’m galloping him a mile and one-half every day looking toward the future and I think he will really be at his best when we can stretch him out to a mile.”

Garoffalo said Wildcat Red would likely make his next start in the 6 1/2-furlong Sunshine Millions Sprint Prep on Nov. 9.

“I’ll run him in the Florida-bred race next month, then would like to give him a little break before we get into his 3-year-old season,” said Garoffalo, who may be best remembered at Gulfstream for sending out the 64-1 Yara to upset the odds-on Grace Hall in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream in 2012.

Jackpot next for Best Plan Yet

Best Plan Yet, easy winner of Saturday’s In Reality Stakes at Calder, will bypass the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and point for the Delta Jackpot, owner-breeder Fred Brei said on Wednesday. Brei cited the fact that 2-year-olds cannot run on Lasix in the Breeders’ Cup and the speed-favoring nature of the Santa Anita track as the reasons for bypassing the Juvenile with Best Plan Yet, who is trained by Stanley Gold.

Brei and Gold combined to win the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Awesome Feather.

Brei also said that his multiple Grade 1 winner Jackson Bend will remain in training in south Florida this winter and will race again in 2014. Jackson Bend, second in the Grade 1 Forego this summer at Saratoga, is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap.

Calder rematch

Friday’s $24,700 allowance feature at Calder will rematch Celestial Kitten and Lexington Pearl under second-level optional-claiming conditions going a mile on turf. The pair finished sixth and eighth, respectively, when meeting for the first time in the Hollywood Wildcat Stakes earlier this summer. Both had unlucky trips that day, with Celestial Kitten getting shuffled back near the rear of the pack early before being forced to come very wide rallying into the stretch. Lexington Pearl slipped up along the rail to close contention before having to check sharply behind the tiring leaders near midstretch.

◗ Jockey Antioco Murgia, who has ridden in Europe and Dubai, won his first race in the U.S. when he guided first-time-starter Da Wildcat Girl ($6.60) to victory in Sunday’s fourth race for trainer Kirk Ziadie.

– additional reporting by David Grening