Gold's juveniles prominent in two sprint stakes

There will be no shortage of 2-year-old stakes action Saturday at Gulfstream Park West, and trainer Stanley Gold will be in the thick of things. He has three starters in the $100,000 Juvenile Sprint, led by Sing Praises, and two in the $100,000 Juvenile Filly Sprint, topped by Leap Year Luck.

The races are among four stakes for 2-year-olds on the Sunshine Millions Preview card of seven Florida-bred stakes. Gold has had an exceptional year with his young stock, winning four of the six stakes in the Florida Sire Stakes series.

“It was a good summer,” said Gold, whose winners all came for Jacks or Better Farm. “It’s our focus with each fresh crop of 2-year-olds.”

Sing Praises and Twotwentyfive A, who between them swept the three legs of this year’s colts and geldings Florida Sire Stakes for Gold and Jacks or Better, and Hear That Tune, a maiden winner from the same barn, are part of a nine-horse Juvenile Sprint. The 6 1/2-furlong race also drew Mr. Jordan, an impressive debut winner at Monmouth Park for trainer Eddie Plesa, and Dukin’ With Dale, in from Parx for trainer John Servis.

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Juvenile Sprint (Race 6)

KEY CONTENDERS

Sing Praises (Last 3 Beyers: 72-65-71)

◗ He will be cutting back to one turn after his nose victory in the $350,000 In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park on Oct. 4. He rallied from off the pace in what was his two-turn debut. Sing Praises has registered his other two wins in sprint stakes, in gate-to-wire fashion at Gulfstream.

“I’m not worried about the cutback,” Gold said. “I’m worried about the pace. There’s a lot of speed in there. But he showed he could rate last time and he did it under the hardest circumstances. He did it in a distance race when you need to go slower than in a sprint. He showed that he was versatile.”

◗ Sing Praises will break from post 4 under Ramsey Zimmerman.

“He responded to what Ramsey asked him to do last time and did it well and did it right,” Gold said. “He listened to his rider’s hand and that’s a nice option to have. We don’t have to see him [on the lead].”

Twotwentyfive A (Last 3 Beyers: 66-66-67)

◗ He won the seven-furlong Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes over Sing Praises in September and for Saturday’s race will be returning to a sprint distance after finishing fourth in the In Reality. Gold said he likes the cutback in distance, but wishes Twotwentyfive A did not draw the rail for the Juvenile Sprint.

“I don’t like the post,” he said. “That’s going to limit my options.”

Mr. Jordan (Debut Beyer: 84)

◗ He has made just one start and it was a memorable one. Mr. Jordan zipped 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.20, while drawing off to win by 6 1/4 lengths in a Monmouth maiden special weight Sept. 14.

Dukin’ With Dale (Last 3 Beyers: 81-66-65)

◗ He invades off a runner-up finish in a quick first-level allowance at Parx on Oct. 13.

In the Juvenile Filly Sprint, multiple stakes winner Holywell will take on Gold trainees Leap Year Luck and Awesome Ice. Both of the Gold runners will be cutting back from two turns for the 6 1/2-furlong race that also drew stakes winner Coco’s Wildcat for trainer Kathleen O’Connell and the multiple stakes-placed Moment of Delight for trainer Bill Kaplan.

Leap Year Luck won the Desert Vixen division of the Florida Sire Stakes at six furlongs in August. She then ran third in the Susan’s Girl division at seven furlongs, and seventh in the My Dear Girl division at 1 1/16 miles a Oct. 4.

“She won the first [division] as a maiden and in the second one was beaten three-quarters of a length after a bad trip,” Gold said. “She just needed another stride. In the third [division], the two turns did not seem to suit her. She’s one of those off-the-pace sprinters and she wanted no part of the two turns.”

In the other stakes for 2-year-olds, Magnificent Margo and Like a Queen lead the $100,000 Juvenile Filly Turf at a mile, while Firestrike drops in from the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity for the $100,000 Juvenile Turf.

◗ Devil’s Cave will be making her first start since running third in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs in May in the $100,000 Distaff Preview. She looks like the one to catch in the one-mile race that drew fellow stakes winners Puddifoot, Flutterby, and Holiday Magic.