Galleon Mast brushes off course change, wins Mr. Steele

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Gulfstream Park management was forced to move three of its four scheduled grass stakes to its main track Saturday due to soggy conditions on the turf course. But the change in venue did not affect the first of those four races, as the hard-knocking Galleon Mast took his third straight stakes win, a hard-fought half-length decision over Galton in the $75,000 Mr. Steele.

Galleon Mast survived a near stretch-long duel with the runner-up that also included some bumping inside the sixteenth pole before proving narrowly best under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Blue Harbor finished third, another 4 1/4 lengths farther back.

Galleon Mast, a son of Mizzen Mast, had won both The Vid and Eight Mile East stakes here in his two previous starts. He completed a mile over what was designated a “good” course in 1:41.27 and paid $4.00.

Galleon Mast is trained by David Fawkes, who came right back to win the $75,000 Armed Forces with the 2-year-old Renaisance Frolic. The winner benefitted from a superb ride by jockey Jose Batista, slipping up the fence to win by three widening lengths over Bon Raison. Dial One, the even money favorite, finishing a badly beaten fifth.

Renaisance Frolic, a son of Paynter owned by Stride Rite Racing Stable, ran a mile in 1:39.09 over a fast main track and returned $6.60 for his second win in four starts.

King’s Ghost had never started on a fast main track prior to Saturday. But the veteran mare had no problem handling the surface, shaking off a bid from Bonita in early stretch en route to an easy three-length decision in the $75,000 Monroe Stakes. Susie Bee, the 2-1 favorite despite never having run on dirt in 23 career starts, finished fifth.

King’s Ghost, winner of the Treasure Coast Handicap on turf here earlier in the meet, is trained by Marty Wolfson for his principal owner, Miller Racing LLC. Jorge Ruiz rode the winner. She paid $11.00.

The steadily improving Blonde Bomber proved the major beneficiary when the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy Stakes was switched to dirt, cruising to a one-sided 7 1/4-length decision over the 6-5 favorite and previously undefeated Homemade Salsa in the one-mile test for 2-year-old fillies originally carded at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf.

Blonde Bomber, whose five previous starts were all on the main track including an impressive maiden win four weeks earlier, is an Arindel homebred by Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned. She completed the distance in 136.99 and returned $7.00.