Gulfstream Park: Ready to Act takes Sweetest Chant Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Chad Brown and jockey Javier Castellano continued their recent domination of Gulfstream Park’s $100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes when combining their talents to win the turf fixture for 3-year-old fillies for the third consecutive year Sunday, this time with Ready to Act.

Ready to Act rallied from just off the pace to register a half-length decision over the pacesetting Party Now. Room Service rallied belatedly to finish third and was followed by Hardly, Jerry Love, Duff One, Lemon Point, and Super Fantasy.

Brown and Castellano won the race last year with Premier Steps and in 2012 with Dayatthespa.

Ready to Act, who finished second as the 1-2 favorite behind Duff One when the pair met under allowance conditions five weeks ago, raced within easy striking distance of the leader after breaking from the rail in the one-mile Sweetest Chant. A daughter of More than Ready, Ready to Act rallied three wide to engage for command into the stretch, hampered Castellano by trying to lug in while gaining a short advantage inside the eighth pole, then held sway despite continuing to race a bit greenly to the wire.

Ready to Act paid $5.80.

“Javier felt that she felt a little better today, and once he got her outside horses, she was a little more relaxed,” Brown said. “But obviously she was lugging in the whole way down the lane there, so I have some work to do with her. She’s been challenging since she went to Woodbine and ducked from the stick. Ever since then, she’s been difficult to train, and in her races, she’s been sporadic. She won today, I’m thrilled, but obviously we have some work to do. She has a lot of talent – that’s the good part.”