Lynx wins Desert Vixen, Awesome Strong takes Dr. Fager in first legs of FSS

Lynx and Awesome Strong got things started in the 2022 Florida Sire Stakes capturing the opening legs in the popular series Saturday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.

Lynx used a steady rally to win the $100,000 Desert Vixen a little more than an hour before Awesome Strong proved a dominant winner of the $100,000 Dr. Fager. Both six-furlong races were run over a fast track, and both winners were making just their second career starts after easily winning Gulfstream maiden races in May.

The Florida Sire Stakes, restricted to 2-year-olds sired by Florida-accredited stallions, was first run in 1982 at the old Calder as the Florida Stallion Stakes. The Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen lead into longer and richer Gulfstream races, those being the $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl, both at seven furlongs on Sept. 3, and the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl, both at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 1.

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Sixth of nine fillies through the opening half-mile, Lynx ($8.40) closed stoutly to collar a tiring Gemma’s Curls with 40 yards left in winning by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:12.53. Edgard Zayas was aboard the bay filly, an Arindel homebred by Brethren.

Gemma’s Curls had put away the two favorites, Go Lil Lady and Trust Me, going clear in midstretch, but she had no answer for Lynx, who won on debut May 19.

“I got to give it to Zayas,” said Lynx's trainer, Carlos David. “He did a great job with her. She’s going to like more distance, I think. After her first race, we thought she could be something special.”

Awesome Strong opened daylight on the backstretch of the Dr. Fager and then went unchallenged the rest of the way, finishing in a snappy 1:11 and paying $7.40 as second choice in a field of 10 colts and geldings. Miguel Vasquez, the leading jockey at the current spring-summer meet, was aboard for CSLR Ranch Partners and trainer Jorge Delgado.

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“I’m super happy,” said Delgado, who won his fourth stakes this year in the Dr. Fager after starting his training career in 2017. “I’ve been dreaming of winning these races. This is surreal.”

Awesome Strong, a six-length winner of his May 6 debut, was 4 3/4 lengths clear of Turbo, who was along to get second by three-quarters of a length over Cajun Hope.