Willy Boi stays perfect around one turn in Hutcheson slop

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Willy Boi remained unbeaten around one turn while becoming a stakes winner for the first time after withstanding an early pace duel to register a 1 3/4-length victory over the late-running Ultimate Badger in Saturday’s $75,000 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Roderick, the 4-5 favorite, finished last in the field of six 3-year-olds.

Willy Boi, a Florida-bred son of Uncaptured, opened his career with a pair of victories going six furlongs against statebreds before stretching out to finish a well-beaten eighth in the mile and one-sixteenth, Grade 3 Holy Bull. Trainer Jeff Engler turned him back to his preferred distance for the Hutcheson, with Willy Boi making the most of the opportunity while also taking readily to a racetrack downgraded to sloppy due to mid-afternoon rain showers.

Willy Boi broke well to prompt the pace of Warrior’s Pride while racing between horses with the odds-on favorite Roderick lapped to his outside in the run down the backstretch. Roderick was the first to retreat with Willy Boi ultimately disposing of Warrior’s Pride leaving the furlong grounds before maintaining a comfortable advantage to the end.

Ultimate Badger, a distant third in the Grade 3 Swale in his previous start, trailed into the stretch before finishing best of all down the center of the track to be second while never threatening the winner. Lauda Speed checked in another length further back in third. Roderick, tired badly over the wet footing, finishing sixth and last while making his first start since registering an impressive allowance win at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25.

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Willy Boi, who is now a perfect 3 for 3 with jockey Corey Lanerie aboard, completed six furlongs in 1:10.93 and returned $9.60.

“He’s just a nice horse. He was 2 for 2 and we wanted to give him a shot in the Holy Bull. We felt pretty confident coming into today, and he ran great so we’re happy,” Engler said.

Captiva Island Stakes

Turf or dirt, it doesn’t matter to A Bit of Both who rallied down the center of the track under Jose Ortiz to register a half-length decision over 4-5 favorite Miss Auramet in the $75,000 Captiva Island, a race taken off the grass and moved to a sloppy main track just six minutes prior to the scheduled post time.

A Bit of Both entered the five-furlong Captiva Island with two career wins on turf and six on dirt. She was coming off a somewhat troubled fourth-place finish behind the speedy Lady’s Island over a similarly sloppy main track in the Lady’s Turf Sprint in her 2021 debut.

A Bit of Both raced near the rear of the field for nearly a half-mile, swung five wide into the stretch, and ran down Miss Auramet in the closing strides. The latter stalked the pace of Queen of Shades, gained command along the rail into the stretch, edged clear, but could not last.

A Bit of Both completed five furlongs in 58.93 and paid $8.80.

Any Limit Stakes

Ortiz continued to wield a hot hand when coming right back to notch his third victory of the day, steering Farsighted to a one-sided victory in the $75,000 Any Limit for 3-year-old fillies. Shop Girl rallied to finish second while never a threat to the winner.

Farsighted, stakes-placed during the fall at Keeneland, was making her 3-year-old debut in the six-furlong Any Limit. She broke alertly and took the race right to the 6-5 Boston Post Road, disposing of that one into the stretch before drawing off to an easy 4 1/4-length victory. Shop Girl lost ground into the stretch before rallying belatedly outside to finish three-parts of a length in front of Feeling Mischief.

Farsighted, a homebred daughter of Bernardini trained by George “Rusty” Arnold for owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr., covered the distance in 1:10.95 over a sloppy track and posted a $12.20 win payoff.

“Everything went great,” said Arnold. “I left it up to [jockey Jose Ortiz]. I didn’t know if she’d be that close, but she just outbroke the gate and he said she was there and went on. Her first three sprints were great. I tried her long, and it didn’t work. I gave her a little time and she came back very good.”