Wedding Toast takes on Wolfson squad in Miami Shores Handicap
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Marty Wolfson’s wealth of talent in the filly-and-mare sprint division will be on display Wednesday at Gulfstream Park when he sends out as many as five starters in the $60,000 Miami Shores Handicap, an overnight stakes to be decided at seven furlongs.
Wolfson, who said he planned to run at least four fillies at the time of entry, will have a strong group to choose from, led by the speedy Best Behavior and the recently graded stakes-placed Ol Donyo. The remainder of his five-pack includes Flores Island, Cabo Queen, and Quiet Hour.
But even having strength in numbers, Wolfson still might not have enough firepower to win the Miami Shores if Wedding Toast is on top of her game. A winner of four of her five starts at 3, including the Grade 3 Comely, Wedding Toast returns Wednesday off an abbreviated 4-year-old campaign during which she started just once, a second-place finish behind Princess of Sylmar in Aqueduct’s Cat Cay Stakes on April 6.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Wedding Toast. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is 17-9-2-2 with a $3.79 ROI over the past five years going route to sprint on dirt following a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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The Miami Shores field also includes multiple Grade 3 winner Rose to Gold, who may be using the race as a prep for a defense of her title later this month at Sam Houston Race Park in the Houston Ladies Classic.
KEY CONTENDERS
Wedding Toast (Last 3 Beyers: 94-98-93)
◗ Although she’s never finished worse than second in six starts, the daughter of Street Sense has yet to win a race at less than a mile.
◗ She’s had eight works under her belt in preparation for her return since arriving at the Palm Meadows training center in early November.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin owns an outstanding 28 percent win mark, with a positive return on investment of $2.72, with horses returning from layoffs of six months or longer.
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Best Behavior (Last 3 Beyers: 78-82-88)
◗ This speedy mare, a former $10,000 claimer, has captured three of her last four starts and is coming off a relatively easy 2 1/4-length victory against high-priced starter-allowance competition in the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper on opening day of the current meet.
◗ A horse for the course, she’s won 4 of 8 starts and been off the board just once at Gulfstream Park.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Best Behavior. Trainer Marty Wolfson is 10-2-4-1 with a $2.66 ROI over the past five years going route to sprint on dirt with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Ol Donyo (Last 3 Beyers: 94-80-85)
◗ She shares the last-out top Beyer Speed Figure in the field with Wedding Toast, having earned a career-best 94 for her third-place finish behind Merry Meadow in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl on Dec. 13.
◗ She won her only previous start at seven furlongs when rallying to an easy 3 1/2-length decision over stablemate Flores Island on a sloppy track in the Musical Romance Stakes here in September.
Quiet Hour (Last 3 Beyers: 81-46-76)
◗ She narrowly lost both of her previous starts at seven furlongs while off the board just once in seven career outings on dirt.