Imprimis, Extravagant Kid try to put misfortune behind them in Janus Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A couple of trainers still thinking about “what could have been” in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint will now turn their attention to “what will be,” when Joe Orseno sends out Imprimis and Brendan Walsh saddles Extravagant Kid in Friday’s $75,000 Janus Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The Janus, for 4-year-olds and up at five furlongs on turf, is one of three stakes that will usher in the new year here Friday, along with its filly and mare counterpart, the Abundantia, and the one-mile Cash Run for 3-year-old fillies on the main track.

Beginning Friday, Lasix will not be permitted to be administered to any horse competing in stakes races at the meet.

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Orseno is still haunted by what transpired in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, when Imprimis was eliminated from contention when forced to steady sharply in traffic nearing the furlong marker while in the midst of launching his closing bid under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Imprimis finished next to last after being eased to the wire, beaten 9 1/2 lengths by the winner, Glass Slippers. Imprimis entered the BC Turf Sprint in peak form, having been disqualified from an apparent easy victory in the Grade 3 Troy at Saratoga in his 2020 debut before overcoming trouble to win the Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint five weeks later.

“Naturally, I still think about what happened in the Breeders’ Cup,” said Orseno. “I’ll always wonder what might have happened if he’d gotten through cleanly. The original plan was to wait until the Turf Sprint here in February, but he’s come out of the Breeders’ Cup so good, we decided we really should run him. This is a pretty strong field for a $75,000 purse on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream, but a seven-horse field is a lot better than 14, and while I’m not crazy about the new Lasix rule, we’re all in the same boat, and obviously he loves this track. All we ask for is a clean trip.”

Ortiz takes the return call on Imprimis, who is undefeated in four starts over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

The versatile Extravagant Kid won the Janus a year ago over a fast main track. In the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, he had a wide trip after breaking from post 14 and finished a late-striding fourth, beaten only one length. Walsh was left to wonder what might have been had Extravagant Kid fared a little better at the post position draw.

“He’s a horse who never lets us down, as he proved in the Breeders’ Cup,” said Walsh. “I nearly passed out when he was drawn out there – it was a major disadvantage. He had a decent trip, but you still have to think he was beaten only a length and that had he been drawn in deeper, he might have found a way to save that much ground along the way.”

Both Orseno and Walsh will be looking for an honest pace for their horses to run at in the Janus, with Sayyaaf and longshot The Critical Way likely to contest the early fractions.

Sayyaaf was hard-used contesting the pace for over a half-mile before stopping to finish 10th and last making his stakes debut in the six-furlong Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship a month ago. The outing was the first for Sayyaaf since being transferred from trainer Chad Brown’s barn to Todd Pletcher following a 3 1/4-length allowance win at Belmont Park on Sept. 25. Sayaff won going a mile here with Brown last winter.

The remainder of the field on turf includes the multiple graded stakes-placed Blind Ambition along with locals Fully Loaded and Harry’s Ontheloose. Both Frosted Grace and Edgemont Road were entered main-track only.

Abundantia Stakes

Jakarta showed a new dimension when rallying from off the pace to a victory in the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash four weeks earlier at Gulfstream. She will likely be favored against nine rivals in the Abundantia, which drew a field that includes the Grade 3-placed Victory Kingdom, multiple Florida-bred stakes winner Lenzi’s Lucky Lady, the versatile win machine Miss Auramet, and Kentucky invader Dixieincandyland.

Jakarta, who had been in front at the first two calls in 12 of her previous 13 starts, sat several lengths off the early leaders before rallying outside rivals to win the Claiming Crown Dash by 2 1/4 lengths. She may need to employ a similar style with plenty of other early speed signed on for the Abundantia.

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Victory Kingdom turns back in distance while making just her fourth start in North America and first on the continent on turf. She finished a strong second over the synthetic surface at Woodbine in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes, beaten a neck after setting or forcing a strong pace in the six-furlong race on Sept. 26. Last out, she finished fourth in the 6 1/2-furlong Sweet Briar Too, also at Woodbine.

Miss Auramet closed out her 2020 campaign on a three-race win streak, the second time she strung together three consecutive victories during the year. She banked nearly $190,000 in 2020.

Dixieincandyland could prove the major beneficiary of a torrid pace scenario, having rallied to win an allowance race by nearly four lengths over the local course last spring.

Cash Run Stakes

Shea D Summer will put her unblemished record on the line while stretching out to a mile for the first time in the Cash Run. She takes on eight foes, including Quinoa Tifah, a stakes winner, and Gulf Coast, second in the six-furlong Sandpiper Dec. 5 at Tampa Bay Downs. Completing the lineup are recent maiden winners Adios Trippi, Orbs Baby Girl, Gladys, and Honorifique, as well as Lucifers Lair and Sky Proposal.

Shea D Summer was a dominant winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream Park West in her 2-year-old finale, a race decided over a sloppy track.

Gulf Coast owns the field’s highest Beyer Speed Figure, a 79 earned for her debut win at Indiana Downs on Nov. 10.

Quinoa Tifah led throughout to register a decisive three-length win in the seven-furlong Our Dear Peggy Stakes, a race switched from turf to a sloppy main track on Sept. 26.