Unrivaled Belle returns in Rampart; R Heat Lightning tops
Gulfstream Oaks
Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (Grade 1) queen Unrivaled Belle will open her five-year-old season with a title defense in Saturday’s $150,000
Rampart
S. (Grade 3) at Gulfstream Park. The Bill Mott trainee will face six rivals,
including Sabin S. (Grade 3) winner Awesome Maria, beneath regular
rider Kent Desormeaux.
The 1 1/8-mile Rampart shares the spotlight Saturday with the $300,000
Gulfstream
Oaks (Grade 2), which is topped by R Heat Lightning. A smashing 7
1/4-length winner of the February 26 Davona Dale S. (Grade 2), the Todd
Pletcher-trained filly figures to be a strong favorite in her final tune-up for
the Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1) on May 6.
After recording an easy wire-to-wire victory in the 2010 Rampart, Unrivaled
Belle defeated Rachel Alexandra in the La Troienne S. (Grade 2) on the Kentucky Oaks
undercard. She finished second in her next three starts — all Grade 1 races —
before returning to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup. Overlooked at 7-1
among 11 rivals, Unrivaled Belle rallied into contention on the far turn and
drew off impressively in the upper stretch, scoring by a 1 3/4-length margin
over eventual three-year-old filly champion Blind Luck, with
Havre de Grace rounding out the top three.
The gray mare, who netted a field-best 108 BRIS Speed rating in the Ladies’
Classic, will break from post 2 in the Rampart.
Awesome Maria will enter on the upswing for Pletcher, snapping a three-race
losing skid with a widening 4 3/4-length victory in the February 19 Sabin.
Winner of the Matron (Grade 2) and a head second in the Frizette (Grade 1) at two, the
four-year-old filly didn’t open her sophomore campaign until last September,
capturing the grassy Riskaverse S. at Saratoga. She concluded last year with an
encouraging second in the Gazelle (Grade 1) and received a career-best 106 Speed
rating for her Sabin win. Awesome Maria will retain the services of John
Velazquez.
Persuading will go turf to dirt for Dale Romans. Her 2011 form
is commendable, with a pair of seconds in the Honey Fox (Grade 3) and Marshua’s River
(Grade 3) and a third in the Suwannee River (Grade 3), and the four-year-old captured her
last attempt on dirt. She will break from the rail with new jockey Javier
Castellano.
Rounding out the Rampart field is Inside Information (Grade 2) third-placer
Stephanie Got Even; multiple stakes vixen Joanie’s Catch; and stakes winners
Dubai Dancer and Successful Song.
R Heat Lightning highlights a seven-horse field in the 1 1/8-mile Gulfstream
Oaks. A four-length winner of the Spinaway S. (Grade 1) last year, the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) runner-up kicked off her three-year-old season with a
disappointing fourth as the favorite in the Forward Gal S. (Grade 2) on January 30.
She rebounded with style four weeks later in the Davona Dale, putting her rivals
away with a sizzling turn of foot into the stretch, and received the first
triple-digit Speed rating of her career with 105. Velazquez returns to the
saddle aboard the bay lass.
Unbeaten It’s Tricky will make her graded debut in the Gulfstream
Oaks. A debut maiden winner on Aqueduct’s main track in late November, the
Kiaran McLaughlin runner moved to the inner oval for her next two outings,
posting a 4 3/4-length decision over allowance/optional claiming rivals before
romping by an eight-length margin in the February 20 Busher S. She will step up
to face tougher company Saturday with regular pilot Alex Solis.
Multiple stakes-placed Beso Grande will venture back into stakes
waters for trainer Stephen Dimauro following a one-length score over entry-level
allowance rivals. Triume, who exits a fourth in the grassy
Herecomesthebride S. (Grade 3), is slated to make her dirt bow for conditioner James
Jerkens. Salary Drive will try stakes company following a tally
over allowance/optional claiming rivals on March 6.
Maiden winners Island School and Kindersley complete
the Oaks line-up.
Gulfstream will also offer the $62,000
Alligator Alley S. for three-year-olds on Saturday. The one-mile turf affair
attracted a field of 12, including three main-track only contestants, and
favoritism could fall upon Leave of Absence, who will make
his grass debut for trainer Richard Violette Jr. Runner-up in the Spectacular
Bid S. early in the meet, Leave of Absence endured a rough trip when finishing
fifth in the Hutcheson S. (Grade 2) most recently. Longhunter also
merits serious consideration in his second start stateside. Conditioned by
Christophe Clement, the three-year-old recorded a nice second in a February 24 allowance/optional claiming event last out.