Starship Bonita holds off Dessert Honeys in Susan's Girl

Starship Bonita needed every bit of the perfect trip jockey Carlos Montalvo gave her to win the $200,000 Susan’s Girl division of the Florida sire stakes by a head over Dessert Honeys at Gulfstream on Saturday.

A 14-1 shot, Starship Bonita wrested the lead from pace-setting Go Astray at the sixteenth-pole and had just enough grit to hold clear a very late push from Dessert Honeys. Off splits of 24.06, 46.72, and 1:11.48, Starship Bonita ran seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:25.43 while paying $31 in winning her first race.

Restricted to 2-year-old fillies sired by Florida stallions, the Susan’s Girl’s rich purse provides incentive for taking shots with any horse marginally qualified to succeed. Starship Bonita was one of five maidens in the race, having finished second in her career debut and a respectable fourth Aug. 5 in the six-furlong Desert Vixen sire stakes division.

Starship Bonita, trained by Steven Dwoskin for the Starship Stables, no doubt improved Saturday, but her cause was aided by pulling a perfect journey after breaking from the rail under the well traveled Montalvo.

As Reagan’s Rose went up to contest the pace with Go Astray, Starship Bonita settled into third, glued to the rail and in the clear as Montalvo bided his time, waiting to tip three deep outside the pace-setters approaching the quarter pole. Go Astray, the Desert Vixen winner, fought hard once collared, but Starship Bonita had her measured a half-furlong from home and got to the wire just before Dessert Honeys arrived.

Dessert Honeys, fourth in a Saratoga maiden race in her only start, raced much closer to the pace Saturday than in her debut, came off the bridle past the half-mile pole, was ridden from the three-furlong pole to the top of the stretch just to maintain position, but finally found a bit of momentum an eighth of a mile out, just falling short as the well-bet 2-1 second choice. Awesome Mass, the 8-5 favorite, was ridden from behind, made a brief move past the half-mile pole, but had no final say. Right On stumbled badly at the start.

Starship Bonita was bred by Mr. and Mrs. William A.T. Rainbow. The filly is by Gone Astray out of the Honor and Glory mare Happy Honeymoon. And indeed, winning a $200,000 race with a maiden would make anyone happy.

Bonita last to first in Wasted Tears

Bonita started her run a half-mile from the finish of the $75,000 Wasted Tear Stakes and didn’t let up until she had buzzed past Mizz Money to post a 1 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile grass race for older fillies and mares.

Bonita, ridden to victory by Edgar Zayas for trainer Chad Stewart and owner Mario Silva, was last of seven down the backstretch, and considering the race’s moderate pace of 48.53 seconds, came packing a powerful punch Saturday. Mizz Money had pressed that half-mile fraction before taking the lead in upper stretch, but Bonita, having woven her way toward the front, never lost her momentum, and Mizz Money had no counter.

Bonita was timed in 1:43.24 over firm turf and paid $11 to win. Temple Furr finished third, 8-5 favorite King’s Ghost was fourth.

Four-year-old Bonita is by Bluegrass Cat and out of the Broad Brush mare Broad Picture. She was bred in Florida by Arindel Farm and won for the fifth time in 16 starts.