Rose to Gold nearing comeback after freshening

Rose to Gold is moving closer to a return to racing at her Gulfstream Park West base, with the near-millionaire’s winter objective a defense of her title in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston, trainer Sal Santoro said Tuesday.

Rose to Gold was freshened after finishing fifth to Close Hatches in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn on April 11.

“She was turned out for four months on the farm,” said Santoro, who trains Rose to Gold for Kathleen Amaya and Raffaele Centofanti. “She needed a break. We turned her out, and she literally put on 100, 125 pounds. She looks great. She feels great. She’s matured, and she’s still dead game.”

Rose to Gold has logged three published works at Gulfstream Park West since her return to training. Santoro said she’s scheduled for a two-minute-mile drill under Jesus Rios on Saturday.

“Rios is going to start getting on her,” Santoro said. “The plan now is to find a mile-and-a-sixteenth allowance race for her while we’re still over at Gulfstream Park West, then try to find a mile-and-a-sixteenth stakes at Gulfstream.”

From there, the target would be the Houston Ladies Classic, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares Jan. 24.

“That’s kind of the plan we’ve laid out,” said Santoro.

Rose to Gold, a 4-year-old who has won 6 of 13 starts and $981,509, was a $1,400 yearling purchase. Her major wins include the Grade 3 Fantasy and Grade 3 Honeybee, both at Oaklawn. She also is a multiple stakes winner at Gulfstream Park West.

Rose to Gold spent her downtime in a pasture alongside the allowance runner Topazio.

“When we had her turned out on the farm, we had her out in a paddock, and the next paddock over was her buddy, Topazio,” Santoro said. “There were some pretty good match races in the morning going down the fence line. It was fun to watch!”

Tormenta de Oro in turf maiden

The most notable races on the card Thursday are a pair of maiden special weights for 2-year-olds, both at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. The races are restricted to Florida-breds, with the fourth for fillies and the eighth featuring colts and geldings.

Santoro and Rios will be in action in the fourth race with Tormenta de Oro. “If it’s a firm turf, I think she will give a good account of herself,” Santoro said. “If we get any rain and it’s yielding, I think it might prove a little bit of a challenge. If it rains and we’re on the main [track], then I would be very, very happy.”