Undercard stakes could steal the show from Sire Stakes

The finales of the open and filly divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes series, the $400,000 In Reality and My Dear Girl Stakes, will highlight next Saturday’s program at Gulfstream Park. But from the looks of the nominations released Thursday, the four undercard stakes figure to be just as attractive, featuring full and competitive fields in each event.

All four – two for older horses and two for juveniles – are scheduled for the turf.

Susie Bee, winner of the Christmas Past Stakes when last sent to south Florida by trainer Mike Maker late last spring, is expected back for the 1 1/16-mile Monroe. Among the locals awaiting her arrival will be Bonita and Mizz Money, who finished first and second in the Wasted Tears Stakes earlier this month.

Maker nominated a half-dozen of the potential 22 starters for the one-mile Mr. Steele. His group is topped by the multiple graded stakes winner Enterprising, although it is the stakes-placed Galton who was listed Thursday by the racing office as most likely to represent the Maker stable in the Mr. Steele. Other prominent names on the nomination list include Galleon Mast, who has posted stakes victories in his last two starts, My Point Exactly, and Sycamore Lane.

Jonathan Thomas, who has enjoyed an outstanding summer meet shipping horses to Gulfstream from his training headquarters at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., nominated his undefeated graded stakes-winning 2-year-old Catholic Boy to the one-mile Armed Forces. But Thomas said Catholic Boy is more likely to run Oct. 8 in the Bourbon at Keeneland or train up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Catholic Boy, a son of More Than Ready owned by Robert La Penta, won his debut here July 20 prior to shipping to Saratoga one month later to upset the Grade 3 With Anticipation.

“I’m not completely ruling out running Catholic Boy in the Armed Forces, but right now I think the timing would be better to either take him to Keeneland for the Bourbon or just train him up to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf,” said Thomas, who has won with eight of the 14 horses he’s started at the meet.

Catholic Boy is one of two Armed Forces nominees owned by LaPenta. He joins Dial One, who is trained by Todd Pletcher. Like Catholic Boy, Dial One won his maiden at first asking over the Gulfstream turf course. He finished third in two subsequent starts, both stakes on dirt, including the 5 1/2-furlong Skidmore at Saratoga. Pletcher also nominated Earth, who finished a tiring fifth after setting the pace in the With Anticipation, and Bon Raison to the Armed Forces.

◗ Saturday’s scheduled feature was to be the $100,000 Bear’s Den Stakes for 3-year-old statebreds on the grass. But that race was postponed for 24 hours and will now be decided Sunday, with a field of six topped by recent stakes winners Kroy and General McGooby. The race also includes top contenders Major Key and He’s the One.

Instead, Saturday’s main event will be a $38,000 allowance race carded at a mile, also restricted to Florida-breds and which also lured just six starters. The field is led by Sir Hannoun, Papa Pig, and Flemish Cap.