Star of Saturn could be live off layoff, with Lasix

Trainer Bobby Dibona has already enjoyed a successful Gulfstream Park winter meet and has a big week coming up with his 12-horse stable that includes Steal Sunshine in Saturday’s $150,000 Fred Hooper Stakes.

Dibona has two runners on Thursday’s card he believes are both live, including Star of Saturn, who returns from a four-month layoff in a first-level allowance race for Florida-bred 3-year-olds at six furlongs that serves as the feature on a nine-race program.

Star of Saturn, a daughter of The Big Beast, won her debut at Gulfstream by 1 1/4 lengths in August and seven weeks later finished second behind R Harper Rose first time facing winners. R Harper Rose came back to win the Susan’s Girl Stakes for progeny of Florida-bred stallions before finishing second in the My Dear Girl Stakes.

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“I knew they couldn’t beat her the first time I ran her. I really liked her a lot. She won pretty comfortably with a pretty snazzy ride on her,” said Dibona, who is 4 for 12 at the meet including wins with his last two starters. “In her second start, I caught a monster who’s a stakes horse, and she ran great that day. I had a little complication, and she still ran game. She showed me a lot, this filly.”

Dibona explained that Star of Saturn bled in that Sept. 22 race, which is why he gave the filly time off. Now a 3-year-old, Star of Saturn is permitted to race on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix, which she gets for the first time Thursday. Star of Saturn also gets a rider switch to leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr.

On Friday, Star of Saturn blew out three furlongs in a swift 34.17 seconds over Gulfstream’s main track, her seventh work leading up to her return.

“I think we’re set to go coming off the bench,” Dibona said. “All in all, it looks like we’re the best horse in the race.”

The race drew a field of six where Blueish, who has the rail, and Khozy Colby, drawn in post 6, look like the apparent speed. Mist, getting back on dirt and dropping out of three stakes tries, also could be speed.

Blueish overcame a bit of an awkward start to win her maiden by 3 1/4 lengths in front-running fashion Jan. 5. Khozy Colby, claimed for $12,500 by Georgina Baxter on Dec. 7, came back three weeks later to run second in a starter/optional claimer over Gulfstream’s Tapeta surface.

Cant Stop Dreaming would benefit from a pace battle. She won her maiden from off the pace going six furlongs Oct. 29. She came off a two-month layoff to run second in the mud going seven furlongs first time against winners.

Belle’s Blue Bell gets Lasix and blinkers for the first time for trainer Carlos David.

In Thursday’s fifth race, a $35,000 maiden claimer scheduled for 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, Dibona sends out Sheila’s Mission with Ortiz up. Sheila’s Mission debuted going 1 1/16 miles for $50,000 on Tapeta and finished fifth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Sheila’s Mission drew post 9 in a field of 12.

Dibona is hoping for a speed duel between Skinny Cosmo and Bonmati, the latter a horse claimed from Dibona by Saffie Joseph Jr.

“If those two are going to hook up, I think [Sheila’s Mission] can fall in there and get a little comfortable and make a nice stretch run and with a little luck maybe win the race,” he said.

Citrus Belle makes her first start for a tag after two sprints on Tapeta for trainer Joe Orseno. Trainer Chad Brown sends out first-time starter Privacy Setting, a French-bred daughter of Kingman.

Butterfly Queen gets back on turf, the surface on which she ran the best of her four races. She also gets Lasix for the first time and takes a slight class drop.

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