Florida Focus Grade 3 Sweetest Chant is First Stakes Victory for Opalina Earns $25,000 Florida-bred Win Bonus Teneri Farm and J Stables LLC’s Opalina shot to the lead at the top of the stretch on her way to her first career stakes victory in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park Feb. 5. The Florida-bred daughter of Optimizer defeated eight other 3-year-old fillies who went about a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf in the $100,000 Sweetest Chant. She also earned a $25,000 Florida-bred win bonus that was presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. With Luis Saez aboard again for trainer Roderick Rodriquez, Opalina broke quickly from post two but surrendered the lead to longshot Myfavoritedaughter, who took the field of nine through quarter-mile splits in :23.16 and :46.88. Saez gave Opalina her cue around the far turn as she pursued Myfavoritedaughter, who took a clear lead into the stretch. However, Opalina took over inside the final furlong and held off a late running Ambitieuse to win by a length in 1:41.30. Ambitieuse was second, a length-and-a-quarter faster than Miss You Ella in third. They were followed in order by Myfavoritedaughter, Battle Charge, Roughly a Diamond, Hal’s Dream and Nostaglic.
Florida-bred Opalina n Coglianese Photo
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THE FLORIDA HORSE n APRIL/MAY 2022
Compiled by Brock Sheridan
Opalina paid $10.60 to win. Bred in Florida by Teneri Farm and Bernardo Alvarez Calderon, Opalina is out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Go Kitten Go and now has two wins in six starts with two seconds and a third. The $25,000 Florida-bred win bonus and the winner’s share of the Sweetest Chant purse amounted to a $84,520 payday for Opalina and increased her career bankroll to $160,770. Go Kitten Go has also produced stakesplaced Red Hornet and another winner from three starters and four foals. n
Sweeping Move Returns Drafted to Winning Ways in Grade 3 Toboggan Drafted went from last to first with an impressive move around the far turn before drawing away to win the Grade 3 Toboggan by four-and-a-half lengths at Aqueduct Feb. 5. The Florida-bred son of Field Commission defeated four other rivals over seven furlongs in the $145,000 Toboggan for 4-year-olds and older. Confidently ridden by Jose Ortiz, Drafted broke evenly from post three but dropped back to last as 1-5 favorite Happy Medium led through a quarter-mile in :23.55 and the half-mile in :47.04. Drafted had the momentum to pull away from his rivals in the run for home as Repo Rocks took over the second spot on the outside of Happy Medium in third. Drafted cruised under the wire to finish in 1:25.06 on the muddy track with Repo Rocks finishing second, six lengths ahead of Happy Medium in third. Hopeful Treasure was fourth with War Tocsin fifth. Drafted returned $15.80 on a $2 win ticket at odds of 6-1. Trained by David P. Duggan for Dublin Fjord Stables LLC, Racepoint Stables, Kevin D. Hilbert and Thomas E. O’Keefe, Drafted earned $82,500 for the Toboggan victory, increasing his career earnings to $844,693
Florida-bred Drafted n Joe Labozzetta Photo
from seven wins, two seconds and three thirds from 25 starts. An 8-year-old gelding, Drafted is out of Keep the Profit, by Darn that Alarm and was bred by John Foster, Barbara Hooker and Field Commission Partnership. Keep the Profit had seven winners from nine starters and 10 foals. Drafted twice went through the auction ring at Ocala Breeders’ Sales but did not sell as a yearling at the 2015 August Sale. However, he was purchased for $35,000 by Eoin Harty out of the Kim Harrison consignment in March of 2016. More recently, Drafted was purchased by Brian Gleeson for $10,892 at the 2017 Godolphin Racing in Dubai September Sale. n
Yes I Am Free Gives Owners, Trainer First Graded Stakes Win with Gulfstream Turf Sprint Florida-bred Yes I Am Free and jockey Emisael Jaramillo gave trainer Laura Cazares and owners John and Paula Szalay, who race in the name of Golden Kernel Racing Stable, their first graded stakes victory by winning the $100,000 Gulfstream Turf Sprint by three-and-a-quarter lengths at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 12. The Gulfstream Turf Sprint featured a field of seven 4-year-olds and older going
