Maiden, claiming races featured during summer slowdown
The 12-race Saturday card at Gulfstream Park should give fans a pretty fair clue that a lengthy stretch without any stakes has begun.
Following a pair of $100,000 turf stakes on July 4, the south Florida track will not host another stakes until Aug. 5, when the Florida Sire Stakes series gets under way with the $100,000 Dr. Fager and $100,000 Desert Vixen, both run at six furlongs. And then it’ll be another four weeks before the next six-figure stakes are run, those being the second legs of the Florida Sire Stakes, the $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan’s Girl on Sept. 2.
In the meantime, there will be allowances and other standard fare to entice Gulfstream horseplayers while Saratoga and Del Mar dominate the simulcast market. For this particular Saturday, that means a program consisting entirely of maiden and/or claiming races. First post is 12:55 p.m. Eastern, with the 20-cent Rainbow 6 being held on races 7-12.
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High-profile trainers such as Mike Maker and Mark Casse will continue to maintain a presence at Gulfstream, but Todd Pletcher has regrouped his stable back up north, pending his return around Labor Day. Pletcher not only was the leading trainer at the championship meet for the 14th straight year but also topped the standings with 28 wins in his first crack at the spring meet, which ran April 5 to June 30.
Majestic Secret to Dr. Fager
One of the Florida-bred 2-year-olds being pointed to the Dr. Fager is Majestic Secret, a June 25 maiden winner with an interesting backstory.
Majestic Secret was bred by George Klein, who got into the breeding business after his wife, Debbi, hit a sizable slots jackpot at Gulfstream while visiting family a few years ago. The Kleins, who live in Arizona, have taken on partners in their racing ventures and recently turned down a lucrative offer to sell Majestic Secret, a Kantharos colt.
“I’m a semiconductor engineer, and Debbi is a nurse, so we’ve done pretty well,” said George Klein, 61. “I got very interested in racing when I went to the [2009] Breeders’ Cup to watch Mambo Meister [owned in partnership by Debbi’s brother, Chris Pallas] and Zenyatta. We’ve gotten very involved, and I don’t think my wife would let me sell after everything we’ve been through. I know the risks, and I warned her that it could all come to an abrupt stop at any moment, but for now, we’re having the time of our life with this horse.”