Sweetontheladies cuts back in Juvenile Sprint

Sweetontheladies will appreciate being back on the main track and cutting back to a sprint when he runs in the $100,000 Juvenile Sprint at Gulfstream Park West on Saturday. The 6 1/2-furlong dash for 2-year-olds is one of seven $100,000 Florida-bred stakes on the Sunshine Millions Preview Day card, which begins at noon Eastern. The Juvenile Sprint goes as race 4.

Sweetontheladies won sprinting in his first two starts, which came on the main track at Gulfstream, but was out of his element when he ran in the $75,000 Armed Forces on turf. He was sent off as the favorite in the one-mile race, but after setting the early pace he tired to finish fifth.

Trainer Henry Collazo wasn’t surprised with the performance.

“He’s built like a sprinter, so it’s not like I thought he was going to be a route or grass horse,” he said. “But the race was there, so we ran him to see what options we might have with him in the future.”

Sweetontheladies took them all the way when he debuted in a maiden special weight race July 2, and scored a front-running victory in his second start, which came in a $75,000 optional-claiming race Aug. 19.

Collazo loves the way he is coming up to the Juvenile Sprint.

“He’s never had a pimple and he was basically galloping when he worked 48 and change the other day,” he said.

The son of Twirling Candy drew post 3 with usual rider Marco Meneses riding.

There is plenty of potential speed in the field, which could help the late-running Thanks God.

Trained by Antonio Sano, Thanks God was sent off as a solid favorite in a $35,000 optional-claiming race at Gulfstream Park West on Oct. 27, but couldn’t run down Cinderela El Crome, who had things his own way in the six-furlong sprint. Thanks God finished third, beaten 6 1/2 lengths.

With a hot and contested pace likely, Thanks God could pick up the pieces Saturday with Emisael Jaramillo aboard for the first time.

Cinderela El Crome, trained by Marcial Navarro, improved dramatically when he ran with blinkers for the first time in that Oct. 27 race. The 80 Beyer Speed Figure he earned for his 3 3/4-length win is the best in the field.

Storming My Way was coming off a runner-up finish at Monmouth when he won a maiden special weight race for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park West on Oct. 14.

“He likes it here,” said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.

Juvenile Filly Sprint

Trainer Kathleen O’Connell has three horses in the $100,000 Juvenile Filly Sprint (race 6) and, not surprisingly, she likes Wildcat Kate the most in the 6 1/2-furlong dash, which drew a field of 11 2-year-old fillies.

O’Connell was high on Wildcate Kate prior to her debut on Oct. 20. Her only worry going into the $50,000 maiden-claiming race at Gulfstream Park West was how well Wildcat Kate was going to handle the sloppy surface.

After she won the six-furlong sprint by more than 15 lengths with Eduardo Nunez aboard, the question become, Can she run as well on a dry track?

“I liked her going into the race, and was relieved when she handled the sloppy track so well,” O’Connell said. “She’s the real deal, and I think she’ll be just as effective on a fast track.”

A daughter of Kantharos, Wildcat Kate drew post 3 with Nunez retaining the mount.

Between her other two in the race, O’Connell was leaning toward Rashette over Lu Lu Laura, who is coming off a front-running win over Rashette in a $75,000 optional-claiming race Oct. 19.

“There is a lot of speed in the field and Rashette can rate,” O’Connell said.

So can Surprise Wedding. Trained by David Fawkes, she rallied from well back to finish second going 1 1/16 miles in the $500,000 My Dear Girl Florida Sires Stakes at Gulfstream on Oct. 1. In her only other race she came from a stalking position when she romped in a $50,000 maiden-claiming sprint Aug. 24.

Lirica hasn’t been worse than second in four starts, all for trainer Antonio Sano, and should appreciate the shape of the race.

In her last start she came from a stalking position to win a $75,000 optional-claiming race at Gulfstream on Aug. 18. Another daughter of Kantharos, she went into the six-furlong dash off of a runner-up finish in the $75,000 Cassidy on July 2.