Riposte makes U.S. debut in Suwannee River

Riposte was a popular Royal Ascot winner following the death of former trainer Sir Henry Cecil (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) Riposte, a filly who provided one of the sentimental highlights of 2013 Royal Ascot meeting, begins a U.S. campaign in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park. The Juddmonte Farms homebred will break from the rail against seven rivals in the nine-furlong grass test. Victorious in her stakes debut in the 1 1/2-mile Ribblesdale at the Royal meeting last June, Riposte’s 2 1/4-length score occurred not long after the death of her trainer, legendary English horseman Sir Henry Cecil. Riposte was saddled that day and for the remainder of her European campaign by his widow, Lady Cecil. Unfortunately, Riposte failed to live up to expectations in three subsequent outings. Fifth as the beaten favorite in the Irish Oaks, she was a nondescript fifth to The Fugue in the Yorkshire Oaks and seventh in the Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp. While getting class relief for the Suwannee River, Riposte has yet to race at a distance less than 1 1/4 miles. Hall of Famer Bill Mott now trains the daughter of Dansili. “She has been here since November,” said Mott, who is based at Payson Park. “If she likes firm ground, she’d be more likely to get it here than in Europe. Most of her works here have been on the dirt, and I would say they’ve been good since she’s had to work on the main track.”

Abaco, a close second in last year’s Suwannee River, captured the Cardinal
Handicap at Churchill Downs in her 2013 season finale. However, the six-year-old
mare did not show a major kick when fourth in last month’s 1 1/16-mile Marshua’s
River as the 5-2 favorite.

“She had an outside post and was wide the whole way,” trainer Shug McGaughey
said. “The little extra distance will help her, so hopefully we’ll get a little
bit better trip.”

Caroline Thomas has not passed the wire first since taking an allowance at
Gulfstream in December 2012, but was elevated to first via disqualification in
the Lake Placid at Saratoga in August. She makes her first start since finishing
a close third in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October.

“She’s been training very well and we’re very pleased with her progress,”
trainer Barclay Tagg said. “We gave her a little time off after her campaign
last year and freshened her up a little bit. She’s been coming around very
nicely, and this race kind of fits into how we want to get her started.”

Stepping up in class is Parranda, who has won three of her last four races
including the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf on January 18.

Laugh Track followed this victory in the Vigil with a sharp second in the BC Sprint (WEG/Michael Burns Photography) Laugh Track, a fast-closing second in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, is one of numerous contenders for the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint over seven furlongs. Previously best on synthetic surfaces when taking the Vigil at Woodbine and running second in the Phoenix at Keeneland, Laugh Track showed a new dimension on dirt when narrowly missing by a neck to Secret Circle in the Breeders’ Cup. However, he subsequently weakened to ninth in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct after a troubled start. “We wanted to get started somewhere and we thought going seven-eighths was a good place to start,” trainer Mark Casse said. “Hopefully, we get some pace to run at.”

Some of that pace should be provided by Singanothersong, who’s won his last
two over the Gulfstream strip including the December 28 Mr. Prospector going six
furlongs, and Grade 3 winner Falling Sky, who was second to Revolutionary in a
one-mile allowance on January 11.

Former Brazilian star Brujo de Olleros kick starts his 2014 campaign on a
form upswing. After notching his first U.S. stakes win at Delaware Park last
August, he next finished a close second to Graydar in the Kelso Handicap and
then rallied for third in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.

The veteran one-turn specialists Jackson Bend and Fort Loudon enter this race
with a collective two-for-20 record over the Gulfstream strip. Jackson Bend was
most recently second in the one-mile Hal’s Hope last month, while Fort Loudon,
who won this race a year ago, is looking to rebound from a sub-par effort in the
Sunshine Millions Sprint where he broke slowly.

Others of note in the Gulfstream Park Sprint are Catron, who makes his stakes
debut for Todd Pletcher after winning his first two starts by a combined margin
of 7 1/2 lengths, and Reveron, the 2012 Gulfstream Park Derby winner and Florida
Derby runner-up who has gone unplaced in his first three outings following a
20-month layoff.

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