Versatile Grand Mo the First back on synthetic for Soldier's Dancer
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Grand Mo the First, a 4-year-old colt trained by Victor Barboza Jr., may always be best remembered for his rose-colored try in the 2024 Kentucky Derby. His 18th-place finish that day was only a surprise to those who had him pegged for last.
Fans who have not seen the colt since that day in Kentucky have been missing out, however, as he has reinvented himself as a plucky turf specialist. On Saturday, he will be a key contender on the synthetic in the $75,000 Soldier’s Dancer Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
In his final stint last year, the colt switched to turf and won the $85,000 Bear’s Den at Gulfstream before shipping to Colonial Downs and finishing second by a neck in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby.
Despite some tough luck in his 2025 debut, a $58,000 allowance, he still improved to finish second. He has not run on synthetic since 2023, when he won two sprints as a juvenile. He will stretch out to a mile and 70 yards on Saturday.
“The last race, he had a bad trip for the progress [he made] in the three-eighths to finish the race,” Barboza said. “I think the new jockey, Miguel Vazquez, is a very good jockey for the horse. I need a strong jockey with him.”
Grand Mo the First, the 124-pound highweight in the mile and 70-yard Soldier’s Dancer, may have a slight class edge, but Just a Photo could still end up as the favorite. The 5-year-old gelding, trained by Luis Ramirez and weighted at 123, finished second in the $75,000 Mr. Steele in May and showed superior form on synthetic in two allowance starts last year.
Smile Sprint
Saffie Joseph Jr. has three horses entered in the $75,000 Smile Sprint Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream. Implementation, a 6-year-old gelding, is the strongest contender of the trio coming off a commanding victory in the $150,000 Army Mule in March.
“Six furlongs is probably a little cutback in distance, but I think it’s well within his reach when he’s doing well,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, he runs as well as last time.”
So far this year, layoffs have not been an issue for Implementation. In January, he finished second in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper but didn’t run again until the Army Mule, when he closed from seventh to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
The versatile runner, who started his career on synthetic in France, has earned victories on all three major surfaces. If he carries on in the Smile Sprint, Joseph intends to bring the gelding back to turf at Kentucky Downs, where he remains undefeated in two starts.
Implementation’s stablemates, 6-year-old Of a Revolution and 4-year-old One Sharp Cookie, are both entering the Smile Sprint in search of an improved effort.
Of a Revolution finished well behind Implementation in the Army Mule in March and has lost two races since. One Sharp Cookie has lost his last two starts by nearly 85 combined lengths and will now return to six furlongs.
The Joseph trio will have to deal with two rivals coming off four-length victories over strong local fields. Shaq Diesel, a 5-year-old horse, won the $75,000 Big Drama with a strong stalking bid in May, while 4-year-old colt El Principito returned to the dirt last month and dusted Of a Revolution in a $58,000 allowance.
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