White Frost wins Sweetest Chant, Chess's Dream takes Kitten's Joy

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Perfect trips for last-out maiden winners resulted in success in the Grade 3 turf twins held Saturday on the Holy Bull undercard at Gulfstream Park, where both one-mile races for 3-year-olds were run over a firm course.

White Frost ($11) in Sweetest Chant

Always ready to strike for Junior Alvarado, White Frost pulled even with favored Con Lima leaving the furlong grounds before powering home a one-length winner. The Gainesway Stable homebred returned $11 as the third choice in a field of eight fillies after finishing in 1:34.45.

Bill Mott is the trainer of White Frost, a Candy Ride filly who had won her previous start, a Nov. 21 maiden race over the Aqueduct turf, in her grass debut and her third overall start. Kenny McCarthy, the longtime Mott assistant, was on hand for saddling duties and the winner-circle ceremonies.

Con Lima took over shortly after the start and proved uncatchable for her closest pursuers until White Frost, sixth for most of the way, let loose with her winning rally.

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“Things got a little tight into the first turn, but I had enough filly to hold my spot,” Alvarado said. “Then I was just a passenger the whole way around there. I just had to show her where to go and find the room turning for home. After that, when I put her in the clear, she has such a nice turn of foot that she made my job easy.”

Con Lima, the 13-10 public choice off back-to-back triumphs over the local course, including the Jan. 2 Ginger Brew, held resolutely to be second, another length before Domain Expertise. The Todd Pletcher-trained filly now has been first or second in all seven starts.

The next race in the Gulfstream series for 3-year-old turf fillies is the Herecomesthebride on Feb. 27.

Chess’s Dream ($18.60) in Kitten’s Joy

Some three hours earlier, Chess’s Dream rallied up the rail under Tyler Gaffalione to pull an 8-1 upset of the Kitten’s Joy, the male counterpart to the Sweetest Chant.

Reserved just off the pace set by Original, Chess’s Dream saved ground on both turns before flashing the strongest kick, surging clear in the final 100 yards to prevail by two lengths in his first outing since he won a Dec. 13 statebred maiden race at Gulfstream in his fourth career start. He finished in 1:35.18.

Never Surprised, the 3-10 favorite in a field of six colts, had no major excuse in being defeated for the first time in three career starts when up for second in a very tight three-way photo with Original (third) and Sigiloso (fourth). Kentucky Pharoah, the 3-1 second choice off two straight local wins, faded to fifth.

Mike Maker is the trainer of Chess’s Dream, who also had been cross-entered this weekend in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston.

“It’s very nice when you make the right decision,” said Michael Dubb, who co-owns Chess’s Dream with Steven Bouchey, Bethlehem Stables, and Chester Bishop. “It was definitely a 50-50 proposition. We’re over the moon.”

The winner is a Florida-bred son of Jess’s Dream out of Achalaya, making him a half-brother to the 2019 Kitten’s Joy winner, Casa Creed. He is the first stakes winner for the 9-year-old sire Jess’s Dream, who is by Curlin out of the great Rachel Alexandra.

The next Gulfstream stakes in this division is the Grade 3 Palm Beach on Feb. 27.