Gulfstream Park: Duff One looking for initial stakes win in Sweetest Chant

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – One of the eight 3-year-old fillies entered in the $100,000 Sweetest Chant will become a stakes winner late Sunday afternoon at Gulfstream Park, and trainer Gary Contessa is cautiously optimistic that distinction will go to his promising turf specialist Duff One.

Duff One has come as close as any of the eight Sweetest Chant starters to have won a stakes, having finished second last summer at Saratoga in the P.G. Johnson. A daughter of Harlan’s Holiday, Duff One finished a troubled fifth in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo before closing out her juvenile campaign with arguably her best performance, an impressive two-length allowance decision over Ready to Act and Hardly, both of whom also will start in the Sweetest Chant.

[Clocker Reports: Get Mike Welsch’s clocker reports from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows]

“If she had run her race in the Miss Grillo we might have been headed to the Breeders’ Cup, but things didn’t go her way that day and she had a rough trip,” Contessa said. “On the other hand, everything did go her way in her last start and she was an impressive winner.”

Duff One is a proven stretch-runner, so the pace scenario will be key to her chances in the Sweetest Chant, run at one mile on turf.

“Looking at the race, she should get the right flow, and she’s definitely one of the ones, although there are some other nice fillies in there with comparable numbers,” Contessa said. “But I think she is an exceptional turf filly and we’re definitely in the right spot.”

Ready to Act could not kick on late with Duff One when finishing second as the 1-2 favorite here last month. The outing was the first for Ready to Act since she finished sixth after pressing the pace to midstretch in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Ready to Act appeared on her way to victory in the Grade 2 Natalma late last summer at Woodbine only to veer in suddenly and lose her rider while well clear on the lead inside the eighth pole.

Trainer Chad Brown said Ready to Act “ran okay” in her second-place finish to Duff One.

“I was very disappointed she didn’t win,” he said. “She’s trained well since and should be able to work out a good trip breaking from the rail.”

Lemon Point will likely try to steal the Sweetest Chant on the front end coming off a half-length allowance win over Room Service in December while racing with Lasix for the first time.

Room Service rallied wide from midpack and encountered traffic issues in her meeting with Lemon Point.

Hardly also had an eventful trip in her last start when finishing a game third, just a head behind Ready to Act. Jerry Love, Party Now, and Super Fantasy complete the field.

Jockey Rispoli out of hospital

Jockey Matthew Rispoli, who was involved in the second of two spills here late Monday afternoon, was released from the hospital Thursday evening but will be sidelined indefinitely, according to his agent, Jay Rushing.

Rispoli, who was aboard the 10-year old mare Suzzona in Monday’s 10th race, suffered a broken right tibia, several broken bones in his face, and a concussion. Rushing said a decision will be made next week as to whether Rispoli will undergo surgery to repair his injured leg.

◗ Ninteen 3-year-olds have been nominated to the Grade 3, $200,000 Hutcheson Stakes at seven furlongs here next Saturday. The group includes Wildcat Red, who skipped Saturday’s Grade 2 Holy Bull; the Todd Pletcher-trained impressive maiden winner Harpoon; and the undefeated No Nay Never, a Group 1 winner in Europe at 2.