Gulfstream Park: Penwith set for sophomore debut Thursday

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Now that the new year has begun and all the 2-year-olds have turned 3, even obscure-looking allowance races will bear watching here over the next couple of months. Two prime examples are the second race Thursday and the featured ninth race Friday.

The second half of Thursday’s early daily double is a one-mile optional-claiming test for 3-year-old fillies that drew a field of seven, including the Darley homebred Penwith, who closed out her juvenile campaign by missing by a neck in the Grade 2 Demoiselle. The Demoiselle was decided at 1 1/8 miles around two turns, but Penwith will shorten up in distance and go just one turn out of the mile chute in her 3-year-old debut.

“We were just looking to drop back into an allowance and try to win a race with her,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Either a mile or a mile and one-sixteenth, it really didn’t matter. I don’t think going one turn in an allowance race should be an issue for her.”

Penwith led throughout to earn her diploma going a one-turn mile this fall at Belmont. She set the pace before succumbing grudgingly near the end of the Demoiselle when a narrowly beaten third behind Stopchargingmaria and Got Lucky.

“She ran great in the Demoiselle,” McLaughlin said. “She’s a very nice filly, and if everything goes well on Thursday, we’ll look to put her back in a graded stakes next time.”

Penwith figures to be a heavy favorite against a field that includes four horses coming off their maiden wins – Highdixieibis, Nutmeg, Another Incident, and Comme Chez Soi – along with Golden Friendships and Stately Defence.

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

Friday’s feature will be run under similar optional-claiming and allowance conditions but at 1 1/8 miles for colts and geldings. The race lured a group led by Hy Kodiak Warrior, who was disqualified out of an apparent victory against the same kind at a mile Nov. 24; impressive maiden winners Top Billing for trainer Shug McGaughey and Chad Brown’s Cousin Stephen; and Todd Pletcher’s uncoupled duo of Commissioner and Ichiban Warrior.

Slow breeze for Cairo Prince

McLaughlin’s Kentucky Derby candidate Cairo Prince had his final work as a 2-year-old on Tuesday at Palm Meadows, going a slow half-mile in 51.90 seconds. Cairo Prince was an easy winner of his first two starts before finishing a hard-luck second, a nose behind Honor Code, in the Grade 2 Remsen.

“He went slower than I wanted this morning, but it’s no big deal,” McLaughlin said. “It was a combination of rider error and company error. He went fast last week, and we’ve got time to work him back. I’ll put him with a different horse next week.”

Cairo Prince is being pointed for the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Jan. 25.

McLaughlin said he will be relatively quiet over the next few weeks but has plenty of big bullets to fire later this winter. Aside from his top 3-year-olds, McLaughlin has Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint third-place finisher Dance Card, recent Grade 3 winner Wedding Toast, and new addition Fitful Skies to look forward to running here in the months ahead. Fitful Skies recently joined McLaughlin’s barn after getting beaten a head by Tannery while making her North American debut in Woodbine’s Grade 1 E.P. Taylor.

“I’m not sure where they all might run just yet, although I’ll probably bring Dance Card back going 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade 3 on Feb. 9,” McLaughlin said, referring to the Hurricane Bertie Stakes. “I’ll probably keep her at 6 1/2 furlongs to a mile since I’ve got Wedding Toast for the same owner [Godolphin Stable] to go longer, perhaps in races later this season, like the Sabin and Rampart.”

Itsmyluckyday returns to work tab

Itsmyluckyday breezed for the first time since returning from surgery to repair a fractured pelvis sustained in Monmouth Park’s Grade 3 Pegasus when going an easy three furlongs in 36 seconds Tuesday at Palm Meadows.

Itsmyluckyday won the Holy Bull and finished second behind Orb here last season in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. He bounced back from a 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to run second behind Oxbow in the Preakness.

“I kind of two-minute-licked him a few days ago to set him up for this, and he worked great,” trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said. “He was in hand the whole way, and he just looks so good right now. I wouldn’t change anything about him at the moment. It’s an exciting time. I just have to keep my feet on the ground and not try to do too much, too quickly with him. We haven’t even thought about when or where he might come back. It’s way too early for that right now.”