Three-year-old filly Georgia gets fresh start in Florida

Changes in scenery and equipment led to a very encouraging performance for a 3-year-old filly named Georgia at Gulfstream Park on Thursday.

Making her first start since being transferred from the West Coast and into the barn of Marty Wolfson, Georgia won a first-level, one-turn optional claimer going a mile by 3 3/4 lengths, earning a 77 Beyer Speed Figure while showing marked improvement following a disappointing return to action last month over Polytrack at Del Mar. She was racing without blinkers for the first time in five career starts.

“I think taking the blinkers off really helped,” Wolfson told Gulfstream publicity after the win. “I don’t think she liked synthetic. I really like her. She’s trained so good here.”

Georgia, by Tiz Wonderful, had been hindered by problems at the gate in prior races, but she broke smoothly in proceeding to a front-running score Thursday under leading jockey Edgard Zayas. “She was really relaxed,” said Wolfson.