Soaring Softly Stakes could end drought for Wolfson
Marty Wolfson has won 67 stakes races at Gulfstream Park during his outstanding career, but the veteran trainer is just 1 for 17 this year after winning 29 stakes at the south Florida track from 2013-15.
If “due” actually applies in horse racing, then Wolfson could find himself in the Gulfstream winner’s circle Saturday after sending out the uncoupled Miller Racing entry of Lori’s Store and E B Ryder amid favorable circumstances in the $75,000 Soaring Softly at a mile on the turf.
Given the presence of Daring Kathy, who is stretching out from back-to-back five-furlong races, an honest-to-fast pace appears likely in the Soaring Softly, a scenario that could favor both of the stretch-running 6-year-old mares from the Wolfson barn.
Lori’s Store, with Emisael Jaramillo to ride, probably stands the better chance among the Wolfson pair. The gray daughter of El Prado won a rich Sunshine Millions event in January and stands to benefit from her latest outing in early July, after having been away more than five months.
E B Ryder has gone winless in her last 16 starts but frequently has come close while running up her career bankroll to $396,774.
Daring Kathy, with leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione riding for trainer David Fawkes, will be tough to catch if left alone on the lead, but the presence of the 3-year-old First Illusion calls that possibility into question. Clearly, the way the race unfolds through the initial stages could affect the outcome.
The balance of the eight-horse lineup consists of Cali Cat, Pancake, Frosty Friday, and Summers Back.
The Soaring Softly, named for the late mare who won the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream in 1999, is carded as the fourth of 12 races on the Florida Sire Stakes program.
The male counterpart to the Soaring Softly, the $75,000 Eight Miles East, failed to attract a sufficient number of entries and therefore was not carded as what would have been the sixth stakes of the day.