Sadler's Joy gunning for repeat win in Pan American

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – If Sadler’s Joy is to register a repeat victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Pan American Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, he likely will have to repeat his effort from the Grade 3 Mac Diarmida four weeks ago, when he ran down a loose-on-the-lead One Go All Go.

One Go All Go again looms the main speed in the nine-horse field entered in the Pan Am, but he is winless in three tries at the 1 1/2-mile race distance, a furlong farther than the Mac Diarmida. Meanwhile, Sadler’s Joy is a three-time winner at 1 1/2 miles, including a head victory in this race last year, when he overcame slow fractions to beat Designed for War.

The Mac Diarmida was Sadler’s Joy’s first start since he finished fourth behind Talismanic in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar last November.

“He really ran super that day,” Tom Albertrani, the trainer of Sadler’s Joy, said of the Mac Diarmida performance. “He still has that unbelievable kick that we saw last year. Physically, he looks stronger this year. Hopefully, we have a nice year ahead of us.”

Sadler’s Joy breaks from post 8 under Julien Leparoux.

Among the threats to Sadler’s Joy is the versatile Bigger Picture, who is coming off a one-length victory in the John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston on Jan. 28. He and Sadler’s Joy were a half-length apart or less in trading two decisions last summer at Saratoga.

Bigger Picture’s only bad race on turf since trainer Mike Maker claimed him for $32,000 in November 2015 came in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, where he finished 12th.

“A few days before the race, he had a reaction to something,” Maker said. “We could never figure out what it was. We drew a line through it and moved on.”

Bullards Alley gets a rider switch to Irad Ortiz Jr. from Paco Lopez. He suffered two narrow losses over this course earlier in the meet.

Hi Happy was third, beaten a length by Heart to Heart, in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf, his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher. Hi Happy was a Group 1 winner at 1 1/2 miles on turf in Chile.

Clement well stocked for turf stakes

Trainer Christophe Clement has won 57 turf stakes at Gulfstream Park since 1992 and looks to have a good opportunity to add to that total Saturday.

Clement has major contenders in three of the undercard turf events on the Florida Derby program, including the duo of Lull and Stormy Victoria in the Grade 3, $250,000 Honey Fox for fillies and mares at a mile.

Lull has not run since she finished fifth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Matriarch last November at Del Mar. She was in tight early in the race, and may have found that company a little too tough.

“Lull is a top-class six-, seven-furlong filly, but she’s good enough to go a mile,” said Clement, who won last year’s Honey Fox with Celestine. “I think you got speed in the race. Lull could be on the lead, but she doesn’t have to be on the lead. She’s got, without a doubt, tactical speed.”

Conquest Hardcandy and Team of Teams both like to race on the front end, so there should be a legitimate pace.

Stormy Victoria is coming off a last-to-first victory in the South Beach Stakes, where she took advantage of a quick early pace.

On Leave returns from a 105-day layoff for trainer Shug McGaughey. She last ran on Dec. 15, winning the Grade 3 My Charmer here by a neck and beating Stormy Victoria by a half-length.

“She’s come back and trained well,” McGaughey said. “She likes firm turf, so we’ll get that and get her started. I’m hoping she could maybe step it up from being a Grade 3 horse to where we can be competitive in a Grade 1.”

On Leave has the outside post in a 10-horse field with a very short run to the first turn.

◗ Earlier on the card, Clement is bringing Best Performance back to the races in the $100,000 Sanibel Island for 3-year-old fillies. Best Performance finished second in five consecutive stakes at 2, including a three-quarter-length loss to Rushing Fall in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“You always need plenty of racing luck in that kind of race, but the filly herself ran very well,” Clement said. “She never stopped improving as a 2-year-old. Gulfstream is a little bit tough for her because it’s been very speed favoring, and she’s not a speed filly. But that’s the way it is, and she’s got to be good enough to overcome it.”

Ferdinanda, trained by Barclay Tagg, is 2 for 2 going a mile at this meet. Amertume won her debut here and then finished second to Thewayiam in the Herecomesthebride in her second start.

◗ In the $100,000 Cutler Bay Stakes, for 3-year-olds going a mile, the Clement-trained Therapist could get a nice setup if Speed Franco and Salmanazar duel early. Therapist, a New York-bred son of Freud, won his first three starts before finishing third behind Maraud and Speed Franco in the Grade 3 Palm Beach.

Speed Franco won the Pulpit Stakes here last December and the Grade 3 Dania Beach before losing by a neck to Maraud in the Palm Beach.