Stewards award Con Lima first in Herecomesthebride

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Con Lima was ruled the winner of the Grade 3, $100,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes, the first stakes on the Fountain of Youth card Saturday at Gulfstream Park, after the stewards decided the first-place finisher Spanish Loveaffair was guilty of interference entering the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Spanish Loveaffair, the 8-5 favorite in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies, made slight contact with I Get It, who was in tight near the inner temporary rail. I Get It appeared to clip heels, with the stewards ultimately ruling following a lengthy inquiry that Spanish Loveaffair and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were at fault.

Spanish Loveaffair had drawn away to an apparent 2 3/4-length victory in her first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, but it was to no avail. She was placed fourth, behind I Get It, following the stewards’ ruling. Joy of Painting, a 68-1 shot, was elevated from third to second, and I Get It from fourth to third.

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Mark Casse, trainer of Spanish Loveaffair, said he intends to file a formal appeal of the disqualification to the stewards. “I haven’t appealed a decision in many years,” Casse said.

Con Lima, with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher, returned $6 as second choice. The Texas-bred daughter of Commissioner now has four wins and four seconds from eight career starts for owners Eclipse Thoroughreds, Joseph Graffeo, Erik Nikolaus Del Toro, and Troy Johnson. This was her first graded victory.

The final time over a firm course was 1:41.30.

The $2 exacta (3-5) paid $241.80, the $1 trifecta (3-5-4) returned $736, and the 10-cent superfecta (3-5-4-1) was worth $231.55.

Phantom Currency cashes in for Mac Diarmida win

Trainer Brian Lynch admitted he was surprised to see his Phantom Currency loose on the lead in Saturday’s $200,000 Mac Diarmida. But he certainly wasn’t going to complain, not after the speedy gelding turned in a game effort to register a 3/4-length victory over Tide of the Sea in the Grade 2 fixture at Gulfstream Park.

Phantom Currency sprinted well clear after posting a :23.60 opening quarter-mile split, then slowed the pace to a more reasonable 49.08 for the half. Tide of the Sea, who backed off early after registering a wire-to-wire win in the Grade 3 McKnight in his previous start, briefly headed the leader entering the far turn the second time around, but Phantom Currency was equal to the task. He fended off that bid and a second from Temple through midstretch to become not only a stakes winner, but a graded stakes winner for the first time.

Tide of the Sea fought on bravely himself in late stretch to remain second-best, finishing a half-length in front of the rallying Moon Over Miami. Temple faltered late to be fourth while beaten less than a length by the winner.

Susan and Jim Hill own Phantom Currency, a son of Goldencents. Final time for the 1 3/8 miles over a firm course was 2:13.84. He paid $15.60.

“I was surprised they left him alone like they did,” Lynch said. “And I was very happy they did, and then was able to slow it down the second quarter. He’s a horse who gets very, very game when he’s left alone. Paco said he gave him a little breather around the three-eighths pole and he still felt he had a lot of horse. He let them come to him and then he crept away. He’s an overachiever this horse, and he obviously likes this track.”

Lynch did admit the pace scenario hurt the chances of his other horse in the Mac Diarmida, the late-running Admission Office, who was never a serious factor, finishing sixth while beaten less than four lengths by his stablemate.

“I don’t think it helped him (Admission Office) at all, he’s a horse who needs a lot of pace to run at and it really hurt him when they slowed it down like that,” Lynch said.

- additional reporting by Mike Welsch