Starship Bonita surprises in Sheer Drama

Starship Bonita upset Stormy Embrace on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where she darted to a 2 3/4-length win over Ms Meshak in the $100,000 Sheer Drama.

It was another length back to third for Stormy Embrace, the 1-2 favorite off her win in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney at Gulfstream.

The Sheer Drama was a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares bred in Florida. It shared a card with the $75,000 Trinniberg, won by Cautious Giant, the second of five winners on the card for jockey Emisael Jaramillo.

Starship Bonita ($18.80) was content to track the pace in third in the Sheer Drama, sitting just off fractions of 22.62 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.30 for the half-mile. She moved to the lead into the stretch and comfortably held off the late-surging Ms Meshak.

The winner covered the distance on a fast track in 1:24.13, getting a 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

The trip was in contrast to Starship Bonita's last start, when she finished a troubled third in the Panama City at Gulfstream.

“It was an awesome trip, an outside trip this time,” winning rider Carlos Montalvo told publicity at Gulfstream. “Every time I ride her, I can do anything I want to do with her. It was just that there was no place to run last time.”

Traffic was part of the problem for Stormy Embrace. She broke last and soon after a rival came over on her. From there, she rushed up down the backside and found herself behind a wall of horses on the turn as Starship Bonita got the jump on her, with Stormy Embrace giving chase in the stretch then getting overtaken late by Ms Meshak.

Starship Bonita was winning her third race from 10 starts, with all of her wins coming in stakes. Steve Dwoskin trains the 3-year-old daughter of Gone Astray for Starship Stables.

Jockey Miguel Vasquez will undergo X-rays after being thrown from his mount, Surprise Wedding, when she clipped heels in the Sheer Drama. Vasquez was transported to a local hospital from the track.

Vasquez was off his final mount on the card. Surprise Wedding walked away from the incident, according to the chart produced by Equibase. Surprise Wedding is a stakes winner and a half-sister to Sheer Drama winner Starship Bonita.

Cautious Giant edges Harryhee in Trinniberg

Cautious Giant became one of five winners on the card for Jaramillo when he caught pacesetter Harryhee on the wire to take the Trinniberg. The winner covered six furlongs on a track rated fast in 1:11.08. Jaramillo was aboard for trainer Victor Barboza Jr.

Cautious Giant ($3.40) tracked the pace as Harryhee took the field through an opening quarter in 21.81 seconds, pushed along by My Chinumado. Harryhee continued to lead through a half-mile 44.87 as Cautious Giant advanced, took up the chase in earnest in the stretch, and worked to push past the leader.

Cautious Giant won by a head over Harryhee. He was given an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

Jaramillo’s other winners on the card came in the third with Master Rory ($4.20); the seventh with Lady Magica ($3.80); the ninth with Red Crescent ($11.20) and the 10th with Piloting ($6.60).

Cautious Giant, a son of Giant’s Causeway who races for Moshe Mark, has now won nine of 41 starts for earnings of $576,290. He won the $110,000 Claiming Crown Rapid Transit in December at Gulfstream.