Legacy Isle's job made easier with scratch of main rival in Gulfstream allowance
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s $51,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park appeared to be shaping up as a special race, bringing together a pair of fast, undefeated and very promising juveniles in Mr. Ripple and Legacy Isle to square off at a mile over the main track. Unfortunately, that meeting will not take place.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. confirmed Friday that Mr. Ripple, a 9 1/4-length maiden winner going one mile in his only start, spiked a little fever since entries were taken and will be scratched. That leaves Legacy Isle as the solid favorite over six other rivals, including the Joseph-trained West Coast Cowboy, who captured his only start late in summer.
Legacy Isle ran to his even-money backing when he overcame a sluggish start to register a gate-to-wire, five-length maiden special weight victory going 6 1/2 furlongs here Sept. 24. He posted a 65 Beyer Speed Figure.
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Legacy Isle is a half-brother to the Grade 3-placed turf specialist Queen Ofthe Temple and fetched $210,000 at the 2022 OBS April sale. Trained by Rohan Crichton, Legacy Isle has trained forwardly for his return, including a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.00 on Nov. 13.
West Coast Cowboy set a contested pace and held on gamely to register a neck decision when sent a mile here Sept. 18, although he earned a modest 48 Beyer. He, too, has been working well in preparation for his second start.
Letruska’s baby brother Prudencio proved no match for Legacy Isle when he finished a distant third Sept. 24. Prudencio flattered the race by registering a wire-to-wire maiden win when stretched to 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta surface just two weeks later. He also looms a key contender in the headliner, along with My Man Ira, who brought $175,000 at OBS April and who enters off a hard-fought half-length debut win here Oct. 15.
Sunday’s eighth event, carded over the Tapeta surface, features the synthetic-track debut of the wickedly fast King Cab. A stakes winner going seven furlongs on dirt earlier this season, King Cab will turn back to five furlongs. He worked a bullet half-mile in 47.00 seconds when testing the Tapeta course for the first time last week.
As for Mr. Ripple, Joseph said he also had been considering next week’s Remsen at Aqueduct for the son of Dialed In before he became ill.
“He won as impressively as a horse could win and did it going a mile the first time out,” a disappointed Joseph said. “And I got extra confidence after the horse he beat came back and won his maiden pretty decently. I would have liked his chances in either spot, here or the Remsen, if he had gotten to run. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get another allowance race for him not too late in December before thinking about races like the Holy Bull here this winter.”
Joseph will still be in action in a major race at Aqueduct next weekend when he ships Florida Derby winner White Abarrio to New York for the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Saturday. Despite some concerns about the racetrack here Friday, Joseph was able to send White Abarrio out to breeze an easy half-mile in 47.62 over a track that had been sealed earlier in the morning following a brief rain shower.
“I was going to go with him at 7:30,” Joseph said. “The track was sealed. I thought they’d open it up at 9, but there was a problem with a wet spot near the eighth pole so they left it sealed again after the second break. I thought about rescheduling for Saturday, but he was already treated with Lasix and I didn’t want to have to come back and do that again tomorrow. Thankfully, everything went well. All his serious works had been solo, but I put him in company today to give him somebody to follow and get a little confidence when going by him like he did. He’s doing well, and I really like our chances cutting back to a mile in the Cigar.”
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