U.S.S. O'Brien has momentum going into Bal Harbour Handicap
All of a sudden, U.S.S. O’Brien is a potential force among the ranks of filly-mare milers on the East Coast.
With graded races such as the Hurricane Bertie and Inside Information looming down the road at Gulfstream Park, U.S.S. O’Brien will be gunning for her third straight victory when she runs as one of the favorites Friday in the $60,000 Bal Harbour Handicap at the south Florida track.
Seven 4-year-old fillies comprise the lineup for the Bal Harbour, a one-mile main-track event carded as the fourth of 10 Friday races. Manny Cruz has a return call on U.S.S. O’Brien, an Empire Maker filly who will share the co-highweight assignment of 118 pounds with House Rules.
U.S.S. O’Brien won a first-level optional claimer at Gulfstream Park West in September by 5 3/4 lengths before leading throughout to win the Golden Beach Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths on Dec. 10 at Gulfstream. U.S.S. O’Brien is owned by Patti and Dean Reeves trained by Kathy Ritvo, the connections of Mucho Macho Man, winner of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic. They are expected back Saturday at Gulfstream to present the trophy for the Mucho Macho Man Stakes.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 U.S.S. O'Brien. Trainer Kathy Ritvo is 45-4-3-3 with a $0.46 ROI over the past five years in route races at Gulfstream Park. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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First post Friday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 2:07. A first-level allowance (race 9, post 4:32) anchors the latter half of the card.
KEY CONTENDERS
U.S.S. O’Brien (Last 3 Beyers: 93-73-8)
◗ Turned over to Ritvo this summer, the filly was virtually eased in her first attempt in June before rebounding with back-to-back triumphs. She was sent away the highest odds (9-2 and 7-2) of her nine-race career in those wins, having been perennially pounded at the windows in New York in six prior starts, all for Chad Brown.
House Rules (Last 3 Beyers: 64-93-74)
◗ With Javier Castellano riding for Jimmy Jerkens, and after having already faced the likes of Untapable and Sweet Reason in her 12-race career, this Distorted Humor filly should harbor no fear of any of these Friday foes. Still, she’s been quite inconsistent when mixing big efforts in allowance victories with a handful of stakes drubbings, the latest a 12 3/4-length loss in the Grade 3 Comely five weeks ago at Aqueduct.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 House Rules. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is 11-5-1-0 with a $11.52 ROI over the past two years in dirt routes in the third start off a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Tempers Flair (Last 3 Beyers: 79-63-79)
◗ This Dale Romans-trained filly resurfaces two months after a well-earned victory on the first Saturday of the Churchill Downs fall meet with five interim workouts under her belt. Her Nov. 1 score came in her first attempt over dirt following five turf tries, so maybe Romans is onto something.
Georgia (Last 3 Beyers: 52-77-30)
◗ This wildly unpredictable filly will be looking to reprise her Santa Anita maiden win in September 2013 and her authoritative optional-claiming victory at Gulfstream in August. She is favorably drawn as the potential outside speed. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez takes the call from trainer Marty Wolfson.