Gulfstream Park: Heart Stealer gets up late to give Wolfson second stakes win of the day

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Heart Stealer capped off a big day for trainer Marty Wolfson by running down pacesetter R Free Roll by a neck to capture Saturday’s $100,000 Sugar Swirl at Gulfstream Park. Wolfson had won Calder’s $75,000 Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap an hour earlier with Simmstown.

Heart Stealer, a 3-year-old daughter of Speightstown, avenged her recent setback at the hands of R Free Roll in Calder’s Bold World overnight stakes with her victory in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl. Rated off the pace of R Free Roll in the run down the backstretch by jockey Javier Castellano, Heart Stealer angled wide while rallying into the stretch, then finished strongly down the center of the track to overtake the leader in the final strides.

R Free Roll, already a two-time stakes winner this year for trainer Ralph Ziadie, quickly sprinted clear to control the early pace, resisted a challenge from Munnings Sister through early stretch, dug in gamely but could not last.

Heart Stealer, who ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:09.49, was favored throughout the wagering and returned $4.20. Heart Stealer had also been entered against the males in the 6 1/2-furlong Kenny Noe.

“The distance worried me more than anything here,” said Wolfson who trains Heart Stealer for the Peachtree Stable. “She’d have won over there [ at Calder] but I just wanted to get the graded stakes for her here. I was very worried when she [Heart Stealer] was back in fifth place, it just takes her a little while to get rolling. She tried to run with that filly [R Free Roll] all the way last time. She doesn’t have to do that.

“At the eighth pole I was a little worried she wasn’t going to get there but once she leveled out, the last 20 yards I knew she’d get up.”

Simmstown forced the pace from the outset before edging away to a 1 1/4-length victory over the late-striding Close It Out to capture the Kenny Noe. Imperial Czar finished third. Black Diamond Cat dueled for command to the stretch but had nothing left thereafter, finishing a tiring seventh as the even-money favorite.

Simmstown paid $14.40 after covering 6 1/2 furlongs over a fast track in 1:17.12.