Litigation prevails in blanket finish in Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Litigation took all the late money to go off a slight favorite then came with a powerful late to run reward his backers by getting up over 90-1 shot Full Disclosure to win the $175,00 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint by a neck.
It was a nose back to My Boy Prince.
The race was marred by a spill in deep stretch in which Unconquerable Keen clipped heels with either Litigation or My Boy Prince and unseated jockey Umberto Rispoli. Rispoli was taken off the course on a stretcher and transported to Aventura Hospital with what is feared to be a broken ankle.
Unconquerable Keen was not injured, according to his trainer Phil D’Amato.
There was a stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run, but no action was taken.
Litigation, a 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy, bounced back from a sixth-place finish in the Janus Stakes, a race in which “he got in a world of trouble,” according to trainer Brian Lynch.
Saturday, under Mario Gutierrez, Litigation raced in eighth, about nine lengths off the pace as Coppola, who had won this race the last two years, set fractions of 20.79 seconds for the quarter and 43.20 for the half under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Gutierrez rallied Litigation widest of all around the far turn and into the lane and he had enough to outkick the competition to the wire
“You always worry about [Coppola] shaking loose because he’s such a big, strong horse, but this guy is a gritty little guy and just has got a great closing kick,” Lynch said. “He touted himself his last work that he was ready.”
Litigation, owned by Stone Farm, covered the five furlongs in 55.03 seconds over firm ground and returned $7.80 as the slight favorite over Coppola, who backed up to sixth.
David sweeps handicaps
The white-hot Carlos David swept both $100,000 overnight handicaps run over the synthetic surface.
Miss Mary Nell, the second-longest shot on the board under Joe Bravo, won the South Beach Stakes for females by a length over Warming.
Miss Mary Nell, a 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Girvin owned by Palm Beach Racing, covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:40.18 and returned $50.60.
Two races later, in the Carousel Club, Prevent, under John Velazquez, battled back after getting passed in midstretch by Horsepower to beat that horse by a neck. It was 2 1/4 lengths back to Private Thoughts in third.
Prevent, a 5-year-old son of Neolithic owned BC Racing covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:39.56 and returned $21.80.
Prevent has won eight races from 28 starts.
The two wins gave David a meet-leading 21 from 61 starters through 34 days of racing.
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