Mr. Jordan sets course record in winning Sunshine Millions Classic

MIAMI, Fla. - Mr. Jordan asserted his superiority over seven overmatched rivals and set a course record as he rallied to a 3 3/4-length victory over Piloting in the $100,000 Sunshine Millions Classic, the main event on Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Preview card at Gulfstream Park West.

With jockey Paco Lopez riding confidently from the outset, Mr. Jordan stalked the early leaders for the opening six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile Classic Preview before moving three wide and taking control into the stretch. He then gradually widened his advantage to the wire, his final time of 1:42.52 eclipsing the track record of 1:42.55 established by Castlebrook 15 years earlier.

Piloting set the pace and was easily second best, finishing 2 1/4 lengths in front of Saraguaro. Hy Riverside, J S Bach, Aces for John, Joshua’s Comprise, and Norman’s Hero completed the order of finish.

Mr. Jordan, a 4-year-old son of Kantharos trained by Eddie Plesa Jr., is now perfect in three starts at Gulfstream Park West, having also won two stakes here at 2. Mr. Jordan returned $3.00 while giving Lopez his third stakes win on the program.

“He’s matured as he’s gotten older and learned to rate behind horses,” Plesa said. “He was gelded earlier this summer, and I think it made a difference. Foot issues forced me to run him in races where he wasn’t a dead-fit horse earlier this year, but we finally got it resolved, and I felt he was as good as he could be, from a fitness and soundness level, for his last three starts.”

Plesa was also proud of the fact Mr. Jordan set a course record.

“It means a lot to me, as you can imagine, having been at Calder and supported Calder for all those years,” he said.

As expected, Plesa indicated that the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Classic would be the next major objective for Mr. Jordan, at Gulfstream Park, on Jan. 21.