Coa presents trophy to Gulfstream’s leading rider Lopez
Eibar Coa returned to the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle on closing day
Sunday to present fellow jockey Paco Lopez with a trophy to commemorate his
second straight riding title.
It was an emotional and exciting return for Coa, who broke his C-4 vertebra
in a racing spill on February 18. Diagnosed by doctors as a quadriplegic after
being admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Coa made a recovery
that was deemed “miraculous” by neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Berta.
The 40-year-old veteran rider, who was released from the hospital on April
14, was able to walk into the winner’s circle Sunday for the trophy presentation
as well as receive a check of $25,000 from a benefit golf tournament.
“It feels great,” Coa said, who is continuing out-patient rehabilitation. “I
feel like I have a second opportunity to just be alive. I went down doing what I
love to do, so just coming back to the track made my day.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to come back before Gulfstream ends, because
it’s one of the tracks I love the most. With all the support from my wife Rebeca,
my family and friends, this is all I need.”
The 8TH race, the $75,000 Capital Request division of the Florida
Thoroughbred Charities Stakes, was designated as the trophy race to honor Lopez,
and the defending riding champion fittingly rode the winner, Romacaca.
Campaigned by meet-leading owner Frank Calabrese, who topped the standings
with 33 trips to the winner’s circle, Romacaca was steadied repeatedly.
Nevertheless, the Nick Canani trainee quickened when finding room and pulled 1
1/4 lengths clear of 6-5 favorite Trip for A. J. Romacaca completed 1 1/16 miles
on the firm turf in 1:44 2/5, earning her fourth stakes score and improving her
record to 20-9-4-2, $399,592.
Lopez, who was involved in the same February 18 spill and missed nearly a
month of riding with various injuries, rode 83 winners, 18 more than former
Gulfstream champion John Velazquez. Javier Castellano was third with 59 winners.
“It’s unbelievable with all the good riders here, to win the title,” Lopez
said. “It was great to have Eibar here today.”
In the $75,000 Island Whirl division of the Florida Thoroughbred Charities
S., Santa Cruz Ranch’s homebred Stay Red rallied furiously to nip 8-5 favorite
Beckham Bend by a head. Sent off at 18-1 in his stakes debut, the Juan Rizo
pupil zipped 1 1/16 grassy miles in 1:41 4/5 and now sports an 11-2-3-1 mark
with $90,796 in earnings.
Todd Pletcher took down his eighth straight training title with 48 winners,
13 more than last winter when he saddled 35 winners. Highlights of Pletcher’s
2011 season included a trio of outstanding distaffers.
In the three-year-old filly division, the Todd Pletcher-trained R Heat Lightning
established herself as the one to beat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 6
with a smashing victory in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 2. The 8
1/4-length triumph highlighted Ladies’ Day, which benefited Susan G. Komen for
the Cure.
Pletcher’s Awesome Maria ruled as the clear leader in
the older filly or mare division with victories in the Grade 3 Rampart on April
2 and the Grade 3 Sabin on February 19. Stablemate Hilda’s Passion was the top
female sprinter with victories in the Grade 2 Inside Information on March 19 and
Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on February 13.
Pletcher finished 17 wins ahead of Canani, his nearest rival who was followed
by David Fawkes with 19.
Betting records tumbled over the 79-day stand. Total handle increased approximately $50
million and on-track handle increased 13.6 percent. Meanwhile, a new standard
was set in Gulfstream’s building as attendance went up 11.2 percent over last
year.
While the betting figures were fueled by large, competitive fields and
innovative wagers, such as the 10-cent Rainbow 6 and 50-cent Pick 5, Gulfstream
played host to the nation’s brightest stars, most notably Dialed In, who will be
the likely favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7.
The Nick Zito-trained three-year-old colt stamped himself as a Derby prospect
on January 30, when he closed from last to capture the Grade 3 Holy Bull in only
his second lifetime race. Following an allowance tune-up against older horses,
in which he narrowly lost to stablemate Equestrio, Dialed In rolled to victory
in Gulfstream’s signature race, the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on April
3.
With his victories in the Holy Bull and Florida Derby, Dialed In will be
eligible for the Preakness 5.5, in which he can reward his connections with $5.5
million in bonuses with a victory in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on
May 21.
Dialed In was only one of several Kentucky Derby prospects that spent the
winter at Palm Meadows. Soldat and Uncle Mo, who are expected to join Dialed In
in the Kentucky Derby field, made the trip from Gulfstream’s satellite training
facility in Boynton Beach, Florida, to score stakes victories. Soldat drew off
to a powerful victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on February 26 and Uncle
Mo, the 2010 juvenile champion, made a triumphant three-year-old debut in the
Timely Writer Stakes on March 12.
Although three-year-olds are in the spotlight at Gulfstream, brilliant
performances certainly weren’t limited to the sophomore class.
The Chris Block-trained Giant Oak captured the most prestigious race for
older horses with a memorable stretch run in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap on
February 5. Tackleberry, though, showed the most versatility among older horses
while winning three major stakes: the Sunshine Millions Classic on January 29,
the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint on February 12 and the Grade 2 Gulfstream
Park Handicap on March 12.
On the sprint side, Big Drama followed up his 2010 Eclipse Award-winning
season and victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with a track
record-breaking triumph in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on January 15.