Power Alert wore down pacesetter Pay Any Price in deep stretch and withstood the furious late rally of Rainbow Heir in Saturday’s $125,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, scoring by the narrowest of margins in a head-bobbing finish. Julien Leparoux was up for Brian Lynch and notched his third win of the afternoon aboard the gray 7-year-old gelding.
Owned by AJ Suited Racing Stable and Lynch, Power Alert stalked a couple of lengths back through :20.86 and :43.08 fractions. He edged closer leaving the far turn and struck the front inside the sixteenth pole, but Rainbow Heir was flying on the far outside. It wound up being a tough beat for the runner-up, who was ahead right before and right after the wire, as Power Alert got his head down at the right time.
The winner was off as the 3-1 second choice among 12 runners and Rainbow Heir left the starting gate as the 4-1 second choice. It was another half-length to the deep-closing Long in Value in third at 7-1 and Pay the Price completed the superfecta at 18-1. Mnahattan Dan, the 2-1 favorite, broke a half-step slow and weakened to last after accelerating forward into traffic.
Bred in Australia by Mr. J. Power, Power Alert is by Alert and hails from Gold Locket, a daughter of Lochrae.
Now a five-time stakes in North America, including a Grade 3 tally in the 2015 Twin Spires Turf Sprint, Power Alert increased his bankroll to $618,231 from a 30-11-6-2 scorecard.
In the $125,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint, Pretty Perfection launched her move on the far turn and caught pacesetter Everything Lovely in deep stretch, recording her first stakes win by a 1 ½-length margin. Nik Juarez had the mount for trainer KellY Breen.
After opening splits in :21.27 and :43.67, Pretty Perfection completed 5-furlongs in :55.31. She was off as the 13-1 eighth choice among nine runners. Everything Lovely saved second by a head at 9-2, with 7-2 Triple Chelsea closing belatedly for third. Nite Delite, the 5-2 favorite, checked in fourth.
Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, the 5-year-old mare was purchased for $155,000 as a yearling. She comes from the first crop of sire Majesticperfection and is out of the Mazel Trick mare Suchaprettygirl, a half-sister to 2005 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) winner Sweet Talker.
Pretty Perfection was making her second stakes attempt after finishing fifth in the December 17 Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs on December 17. However, she did win her first start over Gulfstream’s turf on January 4, defeating allowance/claiming foes at the same distance, and the bay has now earned $184,450 from a 12-5-0-3 record.
