Gold, Brei team up to take top two spots in Dr. Fager

Trainer Stanley Gold and owner-breeder Fred Brei completed another memorable day in the Florida Sire Series after their Sing Praises and Of Course finished first and second respectively in Saturday’s $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Earlier in the day, Gold and Brei also combined to finish first and second in the $100,000 Desert Vixen Stakes with Leap Year Luck and Standard Deal.

The Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen kicked off the 2014 Sire Series, formerly known as the Florida Stallion Stakes when contested at Calder Racecourse since 1981. Their two wins Saturday gave Gold and Brei 14 victories in the series, tying Gold with the legendary Frank Gomez as the winningest trainer in Sire Stakes history. Gold and Brei already have swept all three legs of the Sire Series on two separate occasions, with Jackson Bend in 2009 and Awesome Feather in 2010.

Sing Praises led throughout, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of his uncoupled mate to register his second straight stakes victory. Sing Praises, a homebred son of Hear No Evil, used similar tactics to win the open Birdonthewire Stakes in similarly easy fashion four weeks earlier.

Of Course, who finished fourth after chasing his stablemate in the Birdonthewire, raced forwardly placed once again and easily was second best. Jaiden’s Best rallied mildly to be third. Gold and Brei might have swept the top three positions in the Dr. Fager had Social Media not found himself in tight quarters and forced to steady on a couple of occasions near the rail. Social Media ultimately finished sixth in the field of eight Florida-bred 2-year-olds.

Sing Praises paid $3.00 after covering the distance in 1:11.38 over a fast track under regular rider Ramsey Zimmerman.

“I’m in good company,” said Gold when asked how it felt to be tied with Frank Gomez atop the leaderboard in the Sire Series. “We’ll put an asterisk there because it’s a new series, a new place, and a new time.”

As for Sing Praises, Gold said, “He ran right back to his last race. He broke good, was well in reserve, and had plenty left. Of Course was inching up to him, but he wasn’t going to catch him.”