Delray Beach, FL — The Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association continued their Stakes program at Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village on Saturday (Nov. 22) with an abbreviated four race program featuring the Stallion Stakes Finals with purses accelerating to $6,000 per race.
Race One—Stallion Stake Two-Year-Old Filly Trot—$6,000
Gators No Angel (Rose Run Nolan-Kens Angel) broke her maiden in the easiest of ways—a walkover—strolling through the Sunshine Meadows one-mile oval in 2:19 off panels of :35, 1:10.3 and 1:44.4 for trainer Mickey McNichol.
Owned by George C. L. Birkhold, Gators No Angel had been relegated to a trio of third place finishes in her pervious events in Sunshine State Stakes action.
In a post-race interview, Mickey related, “She was going so fast at the end, I had to buckle my seatbelt…but, what can I tell ya, a win is a win.”
This maiden win vaulted the filly’s earnings to $7,669.
Race Two—Stallion Stake Three-Year-Old Filly Trot—$6,000
For the second week in-a-row, Sunshine Jet toured the Sunshine Meadows track in a new lifetime mark—this time, 2:03.3 in a walkover—as trainer-driver Nick Coblentz had the filly displaying perfect manners in posting fractions of :30.3, 1:02 and 1:31.2.
The sophomore daughter Odino Jet, belonging to the Amante Stable, now has a 9-6-2-1 lifetime scorecard and $28,131 on her resume with $12,497 thus far in November in her four starts at Sunshine Meadows, three of those wins.
Said Coblentz after the race, “It’s a great feeling knowing that all I had to do was stay in the sulky and keep my boots in the stirrups.”
Race Three—Stallion Stake Three-Year-Old Filly Pace—$6,000
Prairie Puma extended her unbeaten streak to four at Sunshine Meadows—and in the easiest of ways with a walkover—in giving Joe Fiorello his fourth consecutive driving win since obtaining the “go-ahead” to drive in purse money events.
Fiorello’s first three wins were in competition with Gator Time and this events was a test of his “rating” ability on the track.
Dein Spriggs, owner of Prairie Puma, challenged Fiorello by giving him instructions to go the walkover mile in 2:15 and Fiorello, with watch and all, breezed through fractions of :34, 1:10 and 1:45 before mailing home in :30 flat to hit the “2:15” nail right on the head.
Trained by Nick Coblentz, Prairie Puma, a daughter of Royal Millennium, vaulted over the $50,000 plateau in lifetime bounty—now showing $51,258—-$22,414 this semester in 15 starts with six wins.
Race Four—Stallion Stake Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot—$6,350
Jays Gator Boy, smartly handled by trainer Mickey McNichol for owner George Birkhold, won the war for the first half mile with Delray Jet, driven by Rob Hoffman, to score in 2:07.
The gelded son of Rose Run Nolan was out-sprinted a bit off the wings with Delray Jet, but McNichol kept his foe outside through opening panels of :29 and 1:01 when Jays Gator Boy began to sprint clear during the third quarter (1:33.4) with a stroll home to finish the mile.
It was the third straight win over his arch-rival—the scorecard now at 3 to 1—with McNichol lamenting, “Ya know, post position really matters in these kinds of races and, when you draw inside and make the other horse go a bit further, it can make all the difference. It’s been the difference the last three starts with him.”
Jays Gator Boy earned his fifth lifetime success in 24 career starts, good for $36,271. This year, stats show 4-1-4 in 12 starts and $18,453.
Racing continues at Sunshine Meadows next Saturday (Nov. 29) with post time at 11:00 a.m. as the FSBOA Stakes season comes to a close with Super Saturday.