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DOUBLE “O” SIRE STAKES
Courageous Octane Fights Off Rivals to Win In Reality
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
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HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - Arindel homebred Octane was challenged from the start in the mile-and-one-sixteenth Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes In Reality but eventually prevailed by a length-and-a-quarter to take the winner’s share of the $400,000 third leg of the rich series at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 25.
The In Reality presented a field of 10 2-year-old colts and geldings by registered Florida sires.
Octane and jockey Emisael Jaramillo encountered trouble from the start as they broke from post seven and bumped with Fivefive Six Champ to their outside. Undeterred, Octane made the lead for the run around the clubhouse turn with Cattin right with them to their outside as Big and Classy also showed speed.
Down the backstretch, Octane kept the lead while racing on the rail but Cattin kept up the pressure to his outside as Desert Vixen-winner Cajun Magic began to bring pressure from three-wide.
Octane began to draw away from his rivals around the turn before Cajun’s Magic started to make a menacing attack while three wide.
But Octane never let Cajun’s Magic get close and maintained a clear margin during the entire length of the stretch and finished in a hand-timed 1:43.97.
Cajun’s Magic held second by six-and-a-half lengths ahead of Cattin in third. They were followed in order by The Skipper Too, Clapton, Gold Special, Globes, Big and Classy, Fivefive Six Champ and One More Score.
Octane paid $4.20.
It was the third consecutive victory for Octane and his second in the Florida Sire Stakes after winning the $200,000 Affirmed going seven furlongs at Gulfstream on Aug. 28.
Trained by Carlos David, Octane broke his maiden in his second start going five furlongs against special weight company at Gulfstream on July 17 after finishing second to Lightning Larry in a five furlong maiden special weight on June 18, also at Gulfstream.
Octane has now earned $410,000 in his three wins from four starts.
“It looked like he had some pressure the whole way and then when those two horses came to him, he just wouldn’t let them by,” Arindel’s Brian Cohen said.
“Carlos [David] has done a great job with him. [Octane] worked super fast on the farm and I wanted to send him a good one. He’s a little horse and Carlos never thought he’d be a mile-and-a-sixteenth horse, but he just gets out there and doesn’t stop. Jaramillo is the perfect rider for him so it was a great effort by Octane and a great job by [David and Jaramillo].”
When asked about a possible trip to Del Mar for the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) on Nov. 5, Cohen kept the options open.
Octane is by the Arindel stallion Brethren and is out of Star Recruit, by Aldebaran. Octane is a full-brother to stakes-placed Gatsby and also has a yearling full-sister and gave his sire his fourth victory in the Florida Sire Stakes Brethren. He also sired Cookie Dough, winner of the 2018 Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl.
“[Brethren] just has lots of runners. For all of the babies he’s had, he always has runners,” Cohen said. “We had four [son of Brethren] in here and the others ran well. They are not Octane but Brethren keeps producing winners. This year we were loaded in the boy’s race, but next year, we have a lot of nice fillies. So next year it will be a swap.”
Outfoxed Dominates My Dear Girl
Outfoxed was not the least bit shy in the $400,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl as she crushed her seven rivals in the mile-and-one-sixteenth third leg of the lucrative series for 2-year-old fillies by registered Florida Sires at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 25.
Ridden by Edgard Zayas from the inside post one, Outfoxed was on cue from the gate but was in no rush to be in front as Cajun Cousin and Devilette showed the way into the clubhouse turn.
Devilette was able to take command from between horses as Outfoxed advanced on the rail, only to run into minor congestion and force Zayas to briefly check the aggressive filly.
The fleeting encounter appeared to have little impact on Outfoxed however, as she settled nicely for Zayas in a comfortable fourth. Devilette continued to lead in the run down the backstretch ahead of Cajun Cousin and My Sassenach in second and third respectively through a quarter-mile split of :29.50.
Devilette, Cajun Cousin and My Sassenach raced together around
the far turn but Zayas prompted Outfoxed and she responded with an impressive four-wide maneuver that propelled her to the front before they turned for home.
From the top of the stretch on, the race was in little doubt as Outfoxed continued to run away from her rivals. Outfoxed finished nineand-a-half lengths in front of Veiled Profit in second in a time of 1:45.34 on the fast track. My Sassenach was third followed by My Devilette, Chacalosa, Baby Blue, Cajun Cousin and Sequin Lady.
Outfoxed was the 1-5 favorite and paid $2.40 to win.
Outfoxed, who is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for LNJ Foxwoods, has now won two of three career starts including an equally impressive victory in the seven furlong, $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan’s Girl which she won by 13 ½ half lengths at Gulfstream on Aug. 28.
She had returned to her native Florida for the Susan’s Girl after finishing second to future Spinaway Stakes (Grade 1)-winner Echo Zulu on debut in a maiden special weight going five-and-a-half furlongs on July 15 at Saratoga.
In three starts, Outfoxed has now earned $372,000.
“She has certainly done good things for us in the last 30 days, that’s for sure,” Mott said. “It looked like she was a little bit stuck down inside but once [Zayas] tipped her out, she went right to them. She looked good to me. She beat this group easily enough. We know the water can always get deeper.
LNJ Foxwoods is the nom du course of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth, a parents-daughter team from Coral Gables, Fla.
By Bridlewood Farm freshman sire Valiant Minister out of Savingtime, by Kantharos, Outfoxed was bred in Florida by Baoma Corp.
Purchased for $360,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale in April by bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt for LNJ Foxwoods, Outfoxed was consigned by Coastal Equine. In the Susan’s Girl, she became the first winner for Valiant Minister and is the first foal out of the stakes-winning mare Savingtime, by Kantharos. Savingtime also has a yearling filly by Bridlewood Farm resident Tunwoo and a weanling full-sister to Outfoxed.
She also passed through the auction ring at OBS the 2020 October Sale where Jesse Hoppel purchased her for $27,000 from the Abbie Road Farm consignment.
Outfoxed is the sixth winner in the Florida Sire Stakes for Zayas, who also won on Phantom Ro in the 2017 Dr. Fager, Chance It in the 2018 Dr. Fager, Two Sixty in the 2019 My Dear Girl and with Boca Boy in the 2020 In Reality. Mott was not in attendance but left Outfoxed in the hands of his former assistant and eight-time Florida Sire Stakes-winning trainer Ralph Nicks. Outfoxed had also been saddled by Nicks in the Susan’s Girl and she remained in Nicks’ South Florida barn to train up to the My Dear Girl. “She’s been training good and put on some weight,” Nicks said “Pretty simple. She is a nice horse and sold for a lot of money. She is in pretty good hands with [Bill Mott] so I would think she has a good opportunity to go and do something even bigger than this.” Mott said no decision had been made as whether Outfoxed would be headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 5 for her next start. “I think we’ll have to talk to the powers that be,” Mott said. “That would be a big step up, but we’ll see what they want to do.”
Pro Quality Runs Down Shivaree to Win Wildcat Heir
After four consecutive third-place finishes, Pro Quality put it all together Sept. 25 at Gulfstream Park to win the $125,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes Wildcat Heir. The Wildcat Heir featured a field of six 3-year-olds and older by registered Florida sires who went a mile on the main track.
After an awkward break with jockey Luca Panici from post three, Pro Quality conceded the early running to Old Time Revival and Jesus Rios, who sprinted from post one and had daylight on Well Defined in second with Shivaree another length-and-a-half back in third as they left the mile chute and raced onto the main track. Meanwhile, Panici allowed Pro Quality to find a comfortable stride toward the back of the pack.
After a quarter-mile in :23.91 and the halfmile in :46.91, Old Time Revival continued to lead around the turn as Shivaree and Well Defined began to threaten as Pro Quality moved closer to stalk from behind those three.
At the top of the stretch, Shivaree and Well Defined were heads apart as Panici took Pro Quality three-wide. Shivaree opened up on his rivals in mid-stretch as Well Defined had a clear advantage in second on the rail with Pro Quality trying to make up ground on the outside.
Pro Quality eventually wore down his rivals inside the final 110 yards, winning by a head in 1:36.15. Shivaree held second, three lengths faster than Noble Drama in third. Well Defined, Garter and Tie and Old Time Revival completed the order of finish.
Pro Quality paid $13.60 to win.
A 4-year-old son of the late Journeyman Stud stallion Exclusive Quality, Pro Quality did not make his first career start until August of his 3-year-old year and it took him three starts to win his first race which came against special weight maidens at Gulfstream Park in October of 2020.
After two thirds and a second in first condition optional claiming races in December, January and February, Pro Quality won two straight under the same conditions before his string to third-place began in a $60,000 overnight handicap won by Noble Drama at Gulfstream on May 22. In his race just prior to the Wildcat Heir, Pro Quality was third, beaten a length by winner Well Defined and runner-up Shivaree in the $100,000 Benny the Bull Stakes for Floridabreds on Aug. 14 going seven furlongs.
Pro Quality is out of Arabella’s Tune, by Concorde’s Tune and was bred in Florida by owner Rodney G. Lundock D.V.M.
He now sports a consistent record of four wins with a second and six thirds from 13 starts while earning $204,110.
This will be the final running of the Wildcat Heir under the name of the late leading sire who stood at Journeyman Stud. The FTBOA announced in late September that the 2022 renewal will be named in honor of Gilbert G. Campbell, a FTBOA past president, board member and prominent Florida breeder who passed away on Sept. 16 at the age of 91. ■
Florida-bred Pro Quality (outside) ■ Ryan Thompson Photo
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