Mindframe, Beach Bomb among Fountain of Youth undercard stakes winners

Seven stakes, six of them graded, comprised the undercard of Fountain of Youth (G2) and Davona Dale (G2) day at Gulfstream Park.

The action-packed slate yielded a bevy of notable performances:

Gulfstream Park Mile (G2)

Runner-up in the Belmont (G1) and Haskell (G1) last year, Mindframe made a triumphant four-year-old debut in the Gulfstream Park Mile, securing his first graded stakes win in comfortable fashion.

With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle for trainer Todd Pletcher, Mindframe broke from the rail and settled third by two lengths through fractions of :24.14 and :46.61 set by Encino. When the latter began to tire, Mindframe seized command and opened up a 2 1/2-length lead in midstretch. Steal Sunshine closed ground late, but Mindframe held safe as the 1-10 favorite, reaching the wire in front by 1 1/4 lengths while stopping the clock in 1:36.25.

“I had a very good trip,” said Ortiz. “I was sitting third and he was in the clear. I decided to go for it. I had the best horse, so I tried to give him the best trip and not have any excuse, and he did the rest.

“He was traveling beautiful. At the quarter pole, he did it on his own. I felt like I had a lot of horse, and it was nice. He was very, very good today.”

“He’s been training really well,” said Pletcher. “He’s a horse that breezes very impressively. You’re always concerned when you’re coming off a layoff and drawing the one-hole at a one-turn mile. It’s demanding, but Irad was able to maneuver himself into a good spot. He kind of opened up the race at the top of the stretch. He kinda got a little tired the last sixteenth but he got the job done.”

Steal Sunshine edged Lightning Tones for second place, followed by Counterspy, Shaq Diesel, Secret Chat, Encino, and Awesome Train.

Mac Diarmida (G2)

Later on the card, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez perfectly rationed the speed of Pletcher's Capture the Flag to win the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida (G2) on turf. Capture the Flag started as a 16-1 longshot off a series of defeats in allowance optional claimers, but after setting splits of :24.02, :49.58, and 1:14.29, the five-year-old son of Quality Road held off a challenge from Grand Sonata to score by a head in 2:12.90. Cash Equity, Be Like Clint, Anglophile, Missed the Cut, Cathkin Peak, Sugoi, Parchment Party, Kalik, and Prevent trailed the field.

The Very One (G3)

Beach Bomb went to the lead and never looked back in the The Very One, conquering eight fillies and mares by one length. A multiple Group 1 winner in South Africa, Beach Bomb set slow splits of :24.17, :50.48, and 1:16.05 under jockey Luis Saez before accelerating to complete 1 3/8 miles on turf in 2:14.03. Immensitude, La Mehana, Queen Regent, Forever After All, Whatlovelookslike, Be My Sunshine, Youknownothing, and Blush trailed home the Graham Motion-trained winner.

Honey Fox (G3)

In Our Time opened up a five-length lead in the early stages of the Honey Fox, a one-mile turf test for fillies and mares. But pace-tracking Special Wan gradually chased her down to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Saez. Racing for the first time since finishing seventh in the First Lady (G1) last fall, Special Wan shrugged off the layoff to secure her first stakes win in 1:32.77. In Our Time held for second place, followed by Poolside With Slim, Tax Implications, See You Around, Ozara, Ready for Shirl, Pounce, Life’s an Audible, Sister Lou Ann, and Cairo Consort.

Canadian Turf (G3)

Dropping in class off a fifth-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) helped Fort Washington launch a last-to-first rally to win the Canadian Turf in narrow fashion. Jockey Junior Alvarado allowed the Shug McGaughey trainee to drop as many as six lengths off fractions of :23.65, :46.80, and 1:10.11 before charging to win by a nose in a four-horse photo finish. Major Dude, Silent Heart, and Irish Aces rounded out the superfecta, followed distantly by Paros, Stanley House, and Omni King. The winning time for 1 1/16 miles on turf was 1:39.31.

Herecomesthebride (G3)

Another four-horse photo finish unfolded in the Herecomesthebride for three-year-old fillies. Last year’s Natalma (G1) runner-up Vixen, under Velazquez, got to the finish line first in 1:33.57 for one mile on turf. The Mark Casse trainee tracked splits of :22.97, :46.51, and 1:10.22 in third place before charging just in time to beat Mrs. Worldwide, Daisy Flyer, and Classic Q by a neck. Civetta, Ramsey Pond, Grade A, Bellavinino, and Special Aviator trailed the field.

Colonel Liam S.

In addition to his win on Mindframe, Irad Ortiz Jr. took the Colonel Liam aboard Mi Bago. Setting fast fractions of :22.55, :45.53, and 1:08.84 did nothing to tire the 2-1 favorite, who drew off down the homestretch to dominate the one-mile turf race for three-year-olds by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:32.51. Enterdadragon, George Briggs, Forged Steel, Wakan, Bakers Street, Win With Faith, Emergence, Smooth Breeze, and Fire Pit completed the order of finish. Mi Bago has now won four stakes for Casse, including three in a row at Gulfstream Park.