LYNX REMAINS PURRFECT AFTER DOMINATING FSS SUSAN’S GIRL

Remains Purrfect

After Dominating Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—She may not always be cat quick from the starting gate but Lynx again pounced on her rivals in deep stretch to win the $200,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owner’s Association Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 3. The bay daughter of Arindel’s stallion Brethren remains unbeaten in three starts including her victory in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Desert Vixen on Aug. 6, the first leg of the lucrative series for 2-year-old fillies by FTBOA registered Florida stallions.

The filly division of the Florida Sire Stakes concludes Oct. 1 at Gulfstream with the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl at a mile-and-a-sixteenth. The last filly to sweep the Desert Vixen, Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl was Scandalous Act in 2013.

With jockey Edgard Zayas aboard, Lynx broke well from post four in the Susan’s Girl as Cajun Tease sprinted to the front from post three along with Time Passage on the outside as the eight fillies left the seven furlong chute and began their trip down the backstretch.

Cajun Tease extended her lead to a length-and-a-half on Time Passage in second while Lynx and Guardian Angel raced together in third from a length farther back as they finished the first quarter-mile in :22.53. Approaching the turn, Cajun Tease continued to have daylight on Time Passage in second as My Cajun Lady advanced on the rail to join Guardian Angel in a joint third while Lynx dropped back to fifth just behind the latter two.

After a half-mile in :45.63, Cajun Tease continued to show the way while still a length-and-a-half in front of Time Passage on the outside and Guardian Angel on the rail when Zayas took Lynx fourwide to begin her run.

Cajun Tease took a short lead ahead of Time Passage into the stretch before Guardian Angel took advantage of her ground saving trip to put a head in front while Lynx was full of run on the outside.

Lynx shook free and was two lengths clear of Guardian Angel passing the sixteenth pole before drawing off to win by four-andthree-quarters lengths in 1.25.79 for seven furlongs on the fast track. Guardian Angel finished a length-and-a-half clear of Cajun Tease in third as Time Passage, Shiloh, High Fashion Lady, My Cajun Lady and Girl Bye completed the order of finish.

Lynx paid $3.80 to win as the odds-on favorite.

“Today she broke a lot better and was a lot closer and sharp. Once I got her to the outside, she started coming and coming,” Zayas said. “Seven furlongs is a tough race for fillies the first time, but I wasn’t concerned about her finishing. I knew they would come back.

“She’s still learning,” he added. “She’ll be better next time. She was better this time than last time. I think [the mile-and-asixteenth distance of the My Dear Girl] will fit her perfectly. She does everything pretty easy. It may not look that way because I’m asking her. But everytime I ask her for something, she responds. She is a nice filly.”

Winning trainer Carlos David was quick to praise Zayas who executed his plan to get Lynx out of the starting gate and engaged early in the race.

“I told Edgard it was key to get a good break. Last time, she had been off so long, she broke a little slow and it took her a little while to get into the race. That was key that she got a good break and was up there with the bunch,” David said. “She was able to take a bit of a breather, then came around and finished strong. I have to give it up to Edgard. He did a great job getting her up there, taking her out and getting that ultimate gear.”

Lynx broke her maiden by a length-and-three-quarters going five furlongs against special weight maiden fillies at Gulfstream on May 19 before winning the Desert Vixen. The daughter of Arindel stallion Brethren has earned $233,000 in her three victories and represents the sixth win in the Florida Sire Stakes for her sire. In addition to Lynx, Brethren sired Cookie Dough, winner of the 2018 Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl; and Octane, who took the 2021 Affirmed and In Reality.

“[Brethren] has been great for us,” Arindel’s Brian Cohen said. “What I’ve always said about him is the percentage of his foals that get to race and those that get to race continue running. The ones that start early continue to run as five and 6-year-olds and that is a great trait of his. He throws horses that run short and long and on turf and dirt and just a little bit of everything. We breed a select group of mares to him and they throw foals that all run. And I can’t say that it is anything other than Brethren because he is the common denominator there.”

Lynx is out of Red Bullet mare Darby Rose, who has produced seven runners from nine foals, all of which are winners including multiple stakes-winner African Rose and graded stakesplaced Mewannarose, both by Bwana Charlie. She also produced stakes-placed Weisser and an unnamed yearling filly, both by Brethren.

Cohen said the Florida Sire Stakes continues to be an important part of the successful breeding and racing program at Arindel, which is located in Ocala.

“We believe in Florida racing and the Florida Sire Stakes is a key part of it. We look forward to the Florida Sire Stakes every year to see who the top 2-year-olds are and who is going to be able to compete here. We love the program and we’ll continue to [enter] as many in as we can.” TFH