R Adios Jersey looks tough to catch in Bal Harbour Handicap
R Adios Jersey figures to be a short price when she makes her first start for trainer Gerald Bennett in the $60,000 Bal Harbour Handicap on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. The seven-furlong dash on the main track drew seven horses and goes as Race 10 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.
Trained by Georgina Baxter last year, R Adios Jersey has finished first in all six of her races and was impressive winning the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks on Aug. 27. However, she was disqualified from the seven-furlong race after testing positive for flunixin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that can be used in training, but is normally not allowed to be administered within 48 hours of racing. The ruling has been appealed and is in the courts.
Following the Charles Town Oaks, R Adios Jersey was given some time off and closed her sophomore campaign with an 11-length romp over Starship Nala going seven furlongs in the $100,000 City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes on Dec. 11 at Tampa Bay Downs. As usual, she went right to the front under Paco Lopez and drew off to win for fun.
Lopez rode R Adios Jersey in five of her six starts and once again will be aboard Saturday when she breaks from post 6.
R Adios Jersey romped in her debut and also coming off a layoff in the City of Ocala, so we know she can fire fresh. Another positive is that Bennett – who has the most wins of any trainer born in Canada – has a 19 percent strike rate and $1.86 return on investment with horses coming back from 61 to 180 days over the last five years.
If R Adios Jersey runs her usual race, she is not going to get beat.
It’s wide open as to which horse will round out the exacta.
Starship Nala is dropping in class after not being able to keep up in the Grade 2 Inside Information on Jan. 22 and the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March 12. Trained by Steven Dwoskin, the 6-year-old mare by Capo Bastone won a second-level allowance race that carried a $62,500 claiming option on Jan. 6 after finishing a distant second to R Adios Jersey in the City of Ocala.
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Don’t Get Khozy should be rolling late, and horses that try to run with R Adios Jersey will likely be coming back to her. Trained by Antonio Sano, Don’t Get Khozy rallied to finish second in a $38,000 handicap March 12 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 5-year-old daughter of Khozan could get a slice with the right kind of trip with leading rider Junior Alvarado up.
Race Day Speed has an excellent 5-0-1 record from six starts going seven furlongs and has won three of her last five races, all for trainer Tamara Levy.