HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Patrick Biancone has a three-step plan moving forward into the winter for Layabout. The first of which he accomplished, narrowly, Saturday at Gulfstream Park when his up and coming turf specialist registered a nose decision over the late running, Grade 3 winner Tiz Dashing in the $125,000 Tropical Park Derby. Biancone would like to use the Tropical Park Derby as a stepping-stone to bigger and better things in the months ahead for Layabout, who he hopes has accomplished enough to merit an invitation into the $1 million Pegasus Turf on Jan. 24. With rich grass races in Saudi Arabia and Dubai also on the drawing board farther down the road. Layabout ran off three consecutive victories, the final two of which came on the grass, after being transferred to Biancone’s barn last spring. That streak was snapped with a troubled fourth-place finish in the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs in early September following which Layabout returned locally to finish a close second after drawing clear in early stretch of the Showing Up Stakes on Nov. 1. Biancone turned to jockey Junior Alvarado to get Layabout back on the winning track Saturday and the veteran was up to the task. Rating the son of Laoban in perfect position within easy striking distance off a contentious early pace set and pressed by Roar of the Beast and Tank in the run down the backstretch.      :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Layabout angled four wide with his bid into the stretch, ultimately over-took a very game Tank about 70 yards from the wire then was fully extended to withstand a final surge from Tiz Dashing. The latter raced near the rear of the field for seven furlongs, came between horses advancing into the stretch, finished willingly and just missed. Tank ran huge in defeat, succumbing grudgingly to finish third, just a half-length behind Tiz Dashing, after prompting a relatively quick pace from the outset.  Chapman’s Peak failed to muster a closing response after racing in some traffic on the second turn, finishing a disappointing sixth as the 3-2 favorite. Owned by Kevin Doyle, Layabout returned $7.40 after covering 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in 1:40.73 seconds. “He’s very mature, he was difficult initially but we finally found the key,” said Biancone. “As long as he’s on the outside, he’s good. He won’t run with horses outside of him. At Kentucky Downs, every time he tried to get out, a horse came up on the outside and he had to drop last at the three-eighths pole. And ultimately got beat just a length and a half.” Destino d'Oro gets up in Tropical Park Oaks Destino d’Oro closed out her 3-year-old campaign in high style, rallying to a hard-fought and well-deserved head victory over the 9-5 favorite And One More Time in the $125,000 Tropical Park Oaks. Desinto d’Oro began her career with three victories in her first four starts including a convincing 3 3/4-length triumph in the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes at Ellis Park on August 3. She then tailed off with a couple of disappointing efforts coming into the Tropical Park Derby when off the board and never a serious factor in both the Grade 3 Dueling Ground Oaks at Kentucky Downs and Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup a month later at Keeneland. With Edgard Zayas aboard for the first time, Destino d’Oro settled about eight lengths off the pacesetting Miss Mary Nell in the run down the backstretch for the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Park Oaks. She commenced her rally entering the far turn, angled six wide while moving to within easy striking distance nearing the stretch, ultimately overtaking And One More Time despite being carried out and jostled by that rival approaching the wire.    And One More Time, who defeated her more fancied stablemate Nitrogen when upsetting the Grade 1 Natalma at two, was reserved in midpack through the opening five furlongs. She tipped wide to challenge for command on the final turn, edged clear but could not withstand the winner while drifting out sharply to impede that rival briefly in late stretch. Ramsey Pond rallied to close contention out in the middle of the track near midstretch but could not sustain the bid, finishing another 1 3/4 lengths farther back in third. Desinto d’Oro is trained by Brad Cox for Steve Landers Racing LLC. She covered the distance in 1:40.02, .71 seconds faster than the boys in the Tropical Park Derby, and paid $9.60. “I thought she got an ideal trip,” Cox said by phone after the race. “Edgard let her find her way around the first turn. She settled for him. It looked like he kind of had his eyeball on the favorite and was able to get by her in the stretch.” Cox said he always had high hopes for Destino d’Oro right from the start of her 2-year-old campaign. “She showed she had a world of talent last year,” Cox noted. “We were pointing for the Breeders’ Cup and had a setback. She began this year with a couple of wins and then we kind of hit a brick wall. She did not get a clean trip at Kentucky Downs and wasn’t as sharp as normal going into the QE II. This was a big effort for her and I think, even though the water will get a little deeper facing older horses next year, that with time she’s still got some improving to do.”          :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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