Turtle Bird Stable’s SIR WHIMSEY (Jump Start) bid for the lead three wide
turning for home and went on record his first stakes victory with a half-length
decision in Saturday’s $343,000
Gulfstream Park H. (G2). Trained by James Toner and ridden by Edgar Prado,
the four-year-old colt closely stalked the pace through moderate early fractions
in :24 4/5, :50 2/5 and 1:14 2/5. Sir Whimsey surged to a half-length advantage
over pacesetter Kiss the Kid (Lemon Drop Kid) through a mile in 1:38, and he
easily held the rallying Fairbanks (Giant’s Causeway) at bay in deep stretch,
finishing 1 3/16 miles over the fast track in 1:56 4/5.
Sent off the 7-2 fourth choice in a field of five, Sir Whimsey paid $9, $4.60
and $2.80. Fairbanks, the 6-5 favorite, gave back $3 and $2.20 while completing
the $15.40 exacta ($1). Kiss the Kid held third, 4 3/4 lengths better than
fourth-placer Leonnatus Anteas (Stormy Atlantic), and returned $2.40 while
capping the $41 trifecta ($1). The $1 superfecta (4-2-3-5) totaled $70.40. Wood
Be Willing (Pulpit) rounded out the order of finish.
Bred in Virginia by Chance Farm, Sir Whimsey is out of multiple stakes-placed
Apogee (Star de Naskra), who is the dam of multiple stakes winner High Moment (High Yield),
the winning sophomore Walla Walla and an unnamed juvenile filly. The Gulfstream
Park winner, who is a full brother to the latter two, brought $75,000 as an OBS
March two-year-old in training.
Second in the Don Rickles S. and Whirlaway S. last season, Sir Whimsey also finished third in the Count Fleet S. He opened
2008 with a two-length allowance score at Gulfstream and improved his mark to
13-4-3-1, $356,043, with Saturday’s win.