Gulfstream Park: Force Freeze gets morning off

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Another big name whose scheduled work got cancelled as a result of the four breakdowns during training hours on Saturday was Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Force Freeze. Trainer Peter Walder had penciled in an easy three-furlong breeze for Force Freeze’s first work since he rejoined his stable last week.

“I don’t think what happened this morning was the fault of the racetrack,” said Walder. “I feel it was more a matter of too many people working and pushing their horses to go today. But when you already have four horses break down and you have a good horse like Force Freeze, you don’t want to push it and set yourself up for a ‘what if’ something should happen.”

Walder said he’s got plenty of time to get Force Freeze ready for his next objective, the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship on Feb. 18.

“I was going to breeze him an easy three-eighths today,” said Walder. “Now I’ll just wait and work him a half-mile next week.”

Walder also reported that he’s assumed the training duties for the French-bred Marinous, who finished only six lengths behind Workforce in the 2010 Arc de Triomphe. Like Force Freeze, Marinous is owned by Saeed Naser al Ramaithi.“He was a little off the beaten path in 2011 but did finish third in a Group 2 race at Longchamp early in the season,” said Walder. Walder said he would like to run Marinous in an allowance race, although he could run in the Grade 3 Pan American here on March 24.