'Rgirl' remarkably consistent

OLDSMAR Fla. - When trainer Kirk Ziadie gave Rgirldoesn'tbluff a six-week break last June, she had raced respectably in her last four starts but hadn't won. Rgirldoesn'tbluff was ready to take things to a whole new level when she returned to action at the end of July, and has finished first in four of her five outings since.

On Saturday, fans will have to decide if Rgirldoesn'tbluff can carry her strong late season form over to her 4-year-old campaign when she tops a field of 10 fillies and mares entered in the $60,000, six-furlong Minaret Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Jose Lezcano will ride Rgirldoesn'tbluff as she goes for her third straight stakes win. After returning to action with a third in an allowance race on July 30 at Calder, Rgirldoesn'tbluff won an allowance sprint over a sloppy strip only to be disqualified and placed second for interfering with a rival in the stretch. She redeemed herself by beating allowance foes in her next start, and has since won the Lady Sonata and Bold World stakes. She rallied from just off the pace to take the Lady Sonata, then changed tactics in the Bold World, leading throughout to win by four lengths.

While Rgirldoesn'tbluff will most likely be the betting favorite, trainer Mike Zwiesler has entered Summer Cruise, who will be a force if she comes anywhere close to duplicating her performances in her first two career starts here last season.

Summer Cruise romped home by seven lengths in her career debut last January, then was equally impressive in an allowance sprint, drawing off by 8 1/2 lengths. She didn't start again until April at Laurel, where she finished third in the Smart Halo Stakes.

"She had a tough trip in the stake at Laurel, stumbling at the break, then getting hung wide," Zwiesler said. "Then we shipped all the way to Canada for a sprint stake there and they canceled the races that day. Then we had a series of minor mishaps and problems that kept her out of action until the fall."

In her only start since May, Summer Cruise finished second in a quickly run allowance race at Delaware Park in November.

"She's been moving forward off that race since coming here," Zwiesler said, "and while Kirk's horse looks tough we'll give it our best. We hope we can have some fun with her this season."

Gonzalez off to good start

Luis Gonzalez, who in recent years arrived midway through this meeting, got an early start this season and it looks like it has paid off as he has thrust himself into the first flight in the jockey standings. He capped a strong week with a win in the Sandpiper Stakes last Saturday.

Gonzalez, who has 12 wins to be fourth behind Dan Centeno's 19 victories, is riding many of the horses for trainer Gerald Bennett. Those mounts would typically have gone to T.D. Houghton, who is one of 10 jockeys currently banned from riding as the result of an ongoing investigation by the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. Bennett also has gotten off to a quick start, winning six races to tie for leading trainer with Lynn Scace.