Munnys Gold shines bright with record-setting Sophomore Fillies victory

Munnys Gold was a real show-stopper in smashing a track record as the 20th annual Florida Cup was run on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for Todd Pletcher, Munnys Gold remained unbeaten in three career starts in winning the seven-furlong Sophomore Fillies in 1:20.09, or .80 seconds lower than the former mark. She earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest by a 3-year-old of any sex this year.

The Sophomore Fillies was one of six stakes restricted to Florida-breds, each worth $110,000, run as races 5-10 on a 12-race card. The main track was fast and the turf was firm.

The Florida Cup marked the end of the stakes schedule at a 2022-23 Tampa meet that effectively runs through May 6, Kentucky Derby Day.

Sophomore

Zydeceaux was overmatched when finishing unplaced in the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby earlier in the meet, but the Cajun Breeze gelding appreciated being back in his element when speeding to victory in the Florida Cup opener, the seven-furlong Sophomore.

Ridden by Samuel Marin, Zydeceaux was part of a three-way scramble for the lead before drawing off in midstretch and finishing 1 1/4 lengths clear of a belated run from Diamond Cool. He paid $5.20 after finishing in 1:23.29.

Zydeceaux is trained by Ramon Miguet for Stud Carmen Cristina LLC. This was his second stakes win of the meet, following the seven-furlong Pasco on Jan. 14.

Turf Classic

Drama Chorus ($7.80) won the Turf Classic for a second straight year when leading throughout under careful rating from Alonso Quinonez.

Trained by Tim Padilla for owner-breeder Peter Mattson, Drama Chorus turned back an upper-stretch challenge from Cashier Check before finishing 1 1/4 lengths ahead of favored Me and Mr. C, getting the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:48.65.

Drama Chorus, a 6-year-old gelding by Big Drama, also captured the 2022 Turf Classic in wire-to-wire fashion with Quinonez up.

Sophomore Fillies

Munnys Gold ($2.80) might now be headed for a graded stakes such as the Grade 2 Eight Belles on Kentucky Oaks Day after winning this race by 17 1/4 lengths. Owned by Robert and Lawana Low, the 3-year-old Munnings filly is still untested, having won her two prior starts by a combined 21 lengths with Beyer Speed Figures of 101 and 88.

After going head and head for a half-mile with longshot Pretty’n Awesome to her outside, Munnys Gold began widening on her seven rivals with Ortiz giving her nothing more than a vigorous hand ride.

“Last time she came from a layoff and I just took care of her,” said Ortiz, who was aboard in a last-out Jan. 25 allowance romp at Gulfstream Park.

“Today, I wanted to feel what she’s got because we went pretty fast earlier, and she felt like she was going relaxed. So I said, all right, let me test her a little bit. I just showed her the stick, and she took off. She gave me another turn of foot and ran away in the stretch. Very impressive.”

Dreaming of Gold, a two-back winner of the Suncoast Stakes, was second, a neck before Awesome Pic.

The former track record of 1:20.89 was set by Win Win Win in the 2019 Pasco Stakes.

Sophomore Turf

Otago ($27.80) finally found sufficient room along the inner rail before proceeding to edge 4-5 favorite Boppy O by a neck in the closest finish of the series. Making his first start in nearly five months, Otago was ridden by Antonio Gallardo for a four-way partnership when finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.47.

Boppy O, the lone graded winner in a field of eight 3-year-olds, had taken command in deep stretch after finally getting the best of Swan Lake, but a relentless run from Otago was enough to give the Speightstown colt his first stakes victory. His top performance from four prior starts for trainer Kelsey Danner was a runner-up finish last fall in the Laurel Futurity over a sloppy track.

Sprint

Capitalizing on a wicked pace, Magical Warrior ($23.60) flew down the center of the track for a 1 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong Sprint.

Ridden by Javier Castellano for Averill Racing and trainer Gerald Bennett’s Winning Stables, Magical Warrior finished in 1:08.96 in making his stakes debut. The 4-year-old Poseidon’s Warrior gelding was claimed by Bennett for $20,000 at Tampa in February 2022.

Lightening Larry, who contested fractions of 21.37 and 43.85 alongside Oil Money, held on grimly to be second, another half-length before Powerfully Built in a field of nine older horses. Willy Boi, the 9-5 favorite, was never a factor.

Distaff Turf

Giving Castellano the only riding (or training) double in the series, Sweet Dani Girl ($6.80) drew off with flair when making all the running in this 1 1/16-mile race in a swift 1:40.87. A slight favorite in a full gate of 12 fillies and mares, the 4-year-old Jess’s Dream filly quickly spurted away from 43-1 shot Prudent Song when turning for home en route to a four-length score. Prudent Score held second over 74-1 shot Alexa’s Dream.

Trainer Carlo Vaccarezza and his family are the breeders and owners of Sweet Dani Girl, who now has won twice from three turf starts, all of them stakes. Vaccarezza said the chestnut filly probably races next on Derby weekend at Churchill Downs.

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