Wildwood's Beauty adds to big year in Distaff Preview

MIAMI – One of the stars on Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Preview card was Wildwood’s Beauty, who rallied to a 1 3/4-length decision over Heiressall in the seven-furlong Distaff Preview. The win was the fourth in nine tries this year for the 3-year-old daughter of Kantharos who is trained by Scott Becker for his principal client William Stiritz.

Among those wins was the Sophomore Fillies in March and the Ivanavinalot in May at Tampa Bay Downs.

“She’d been training outstanding and I thought with a good trip she would be tough to beat,” said Becker, who is based in the Midwest but was on hand for the race last Saturday. “I gave her a break after she won those stakes at Tampa last winter and pointed her for the Sheer Drama, which she also won. Thus far, everything has worked out well as far as she’s been concerned this year.”

Becker said Wildwood’s Beauty was a difficult horse to train as a 2-year-old, but has matured as the year has progressed.

“I put blinkers on her when she first started, but have since taken them off as she’s gotten older,” Becker said. “Seven furlongs to a mile is ideal for her, although against the right field I think she’ll go a mile and one-sixteenth since she is a three-quarter cross to Mr. Jordan.”

Becker has 25 horses stabled at Gulfstream Park along with nearly 50 more at Fairmount Park and a third string at Hawthorne.

Stiritz “has always had a home in Delray Beach and he’s purchased a lot of horses at the Florida sales,” said Becker when asked why he races in Florida while based primarily in Illinois. “I currently have about 40 2-year-old Florida-breds for him, and I really like the fact we can race year round down there.”