Jala Jala shows she belongs with Royal Delta second

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jala Jala, a 5-year-old mare bred and raced in Mexico, helped to restore some lost pride for her connections when she finished second behind Blamed as a 7-1 shot here last Saturday in the Grade 3 Royal Delta. Jala Jala fared much better than her Fausto Gutierrez-trained stablemate Kukulkan did by finishing 11th at 26-1 in the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup. The loss was the first of Kukulkan’s career.

“After what happened to Kukulkan, I think the expectations of horses [from Mexico] might have been a little down,” said Gutierrez. “But Jala Jala fought to the end.”

Gutierrez said Jala Jala will run back in a stakes before the championship meet ends March 31, with a move to the turf a possibility.

Hal’s Hope looks competitive

Quip and the Todd Pletcher pair of Copper Town and Prince Lucky figure to make for a competitive 28th running of the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope on Saturday at Gulfstream. The Hal’s Hope was expected to attract about seven older horses when entries were to be drawn here Wednesday.

Quip, trained by Rodolphe Brisset, will be making his first start since finishing far back in the Preakness last May.

The next big date here is March 2, when the Fountain of Youth is one of nine stakes.

◗ Edgard Zayas continues to recover from the fractured right femur he sustained in a Dec. 30 spill and is on schedule to return to the saddle by late March, the 25-year-old jockey said this week via social media. Zayas said he is undergoing physical therapy three times a week and is “feeling awesome, healing very quickly.”

Zayas has won 1,297 races since his riding career began in 2012, with the vast majority coming at Gulfstream and Gulfstream West.