Twilight Gleaming ready for Abundantia off sharp work

HALLANDALE, Fla. – Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. knows a little something about Twilight Gleaming, having won three stakes from four opportunities aboard the speedy filly, including the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar in 2021.

So when he dismounted after breezing her four furlongs in 49.80 seconds on Dec. 20 at Payson Park with “a big smile on his face,” according to Wesley Ward, it had the trainer grinning from ear to ear as well. Twilight Gleaming makes her local debut in Sunday’s $100,000 Abundantia Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The Abundantia will share top billing on a 10-race program that also features the $100,000 Janus Stakes, both races drawing large and competitive fields and carded for older horses at five furlongs on the turf.

Twilight Gleaming is definitely the marquee name in the two turf fixtures as she closes a 2023 campaign highlighted by her victory in the Giant’s Causeway Stakes over her home course at Keeneland in April and that also included a trip to Royal Ascot, where she finished a well-beaten 16th in the Group 1 King’s Stand. She has not started since finishing fourth after contesting a torrid pace in the Grade 2 Franklin on Oct. 15 at Keeneland.

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“She had no excuses at Ascot. That was a really tough race over there, but she’s had some really bad luck ever since,” Ward explained. “She had just a horrendous trip at Del Mar and in the Franklin she broke running and got committed to the lead and wound up disputing some sizzling fractions with an 80-1 shot and just went too fast early and too slow late.”

Ward has targeted the Abundantia ever since Twilight Gleaming’s owners, Stonestreet Stables, gave the okay to keep her in training in 2024 shortly after the Franklin.

“She’s doing very well. Every week her breezes have been better than the last and seeing Irad come off her smiling like that told me everything I needed to know,” Ward said. “I know there’s a ton of speed in this race, but you expect those things in these kind of races. We’ve got a great post and a great rider. Irad is very, very familiar with her and he can figure it out from there. She’s tipping right at a million dollars in earnings, and I’m hoping we can get her a little closer after this race.”

Twilight Gleaming should have plenty of company on the front end against a field that also includes Lady Milagro, breaking from the rail and making her local debut off a gate-to-wire, 1 1/2-length victory at odds of 51-1 when returning to turf for the six-furlong Autumn Days Stakes at Aqueduct six weeks earlier. The 91 Beyer Speed Figure she earned for the effort was far and away the best of her career.

Sassy Nature, perfect in two starts over the local course and rarely headed for the lead in any of her starts, also figures to keep things interesting early on as should Stone Silent.

A contested pace figures to be a plus for local favorite Choose Joy, who rallied to a half-length allowance win over the Tapeta course in her last start and has never finished worse than second in nine tries here on turf.

There also is no shortage of speed signed on for the Janus, with Grade 3 winner Yes I’m Free and Warrior’s Pride among those expected to be cooking on the front end with Kentucky invader Coppola, Crispy Cat, and even Bad Beat Brian not likely to be too far behind in the run down the backstretch.

Cloudy, a game and late-striding fourth following a tardy start and traffic issues in his last start at Keeneland,should benefit from a competitive pace scenario, as will Eamonn, who rallied from last to a half-length allowance win in an overnight handicap decided over this course during the spring.

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