Three Rules ready to take on big boys in Breeders' Cup Juvenile

MIAMI – Trainer Jose Pinchin said Monday that his undefeated and unchallenged 2-year-old Three Rules is definitely Breeders’ Cup bound following his easy 10-length victory in Saturday’s In Reality Stakes.

Three Rules completed his sweep of the Florida Sire Stakes series and remained perfect in five starts. He earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure despite being geared down to the wire by jockey Cornelio Velasquez. The 1 1/16-mile In Reality was his two-turn debut.

“He came out of the race real good, and the plans are to go to the Breeders’ Cup,” said Pinchin. “He ran just the way I expected on Saturday. He was able to control a pretty easy pace, and in the end, the race was like a gallop for him. If Cornelio doesn’t take a hold so early, he probably could have set the course record. The race didn’t take anything out of him at all.”

Pinchin said he understands the waters will get a lot deeper in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 5, when Three Rules makes his first start outside his home grounds of Gulfstream Park.

“We’re feeling good about him, although we know it’s a whole different class of horses he’ll be running against out there,” said Pinchin. “But the owners want to take a shot because you never know when you’ll get another horse like him.”

Three Rules appears to be the only Florida-based 2-year-old in the Breeders’ Cup. None of the fillies from Saturday’s My Dear Girl are being sent to Santa Anita, including winner Dude Fantasy. Trained by Ralph Nicks and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Dude Fantasy was making her second start in the My Dear Girl.

“She ran an awesome race,” Nicks said. “Tyler and I talked it over the week before, and we both felt she had a heck of a shot because we felt she’d handle the distance and was very professional the way she took dirt in her first race. She’s not very big, but she’s got a great stride, a good mind, and a lot of class.”

Trainer David Fawkes said he was pleased with the efforts of runner-up Surprise Wedding and fourth-place finisher Cajun Delta Dawn in the My Dear Girl. Cajun Delta Dawn, the 9-5 favorite under Juan Leyva, broke from post 13.

“Surprise Wedding ran great,” said Fawkes. “She got into some traffic and had to race wide. The post surely compromised Cajun Delta Dawn. I thought Juan rode a great race. He had to use her early to get position from out there by design, and that took its toll at the end.”

◗ Overall handle for the spring-summer Gulfstream Park meet, which ran from April 4 to Oct. 1, was $556.9 million, up 14 percent over the corresponding meeting in 2015. A total of $9.4 million of that total was wagered on Saturday’s 13-race card, which included four Sire Stakes.