Askbut I Won'ttell figures to make things tough in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf when she takes on 13 rivals in the 1 1/8-mile race at Gulfstream Park Saturday, Jan. 29. Trained by Chris Block, she has won her last two starts and both were 1 1/8-mile graded stakes.
The Filly and Mare Turf is one of six Sunshine Millions races, three at Santa Anita in California and three at Gulfstream Park in Florida. The Sunshine Millions Classic and the Filly and Mare Sprint also will be held at Gulfstream.
Askbut I Won’tell, a 5-year-old daughter of Horse Chestnut, took the Cardinal Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs in November and the My Charmer Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Calder in December. She gets the return services of jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.
Dynaslew also figures to make things interesting. The 5-year-old daughter of leading grass sire Dynaformer was a two-time graded stakes winner in 2010. She won the Ballston Spa Stakes (gr. IIT) at Saratoga and the Beaugay Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park in the spring.
Trained by Seth Benzel, Dynaslew also contested the Diana Handicap (gr. IT) at Saratoga. She finished fourth to Proviso, beaten a neck, after setting the pace. Dynaslew will be ridden by Eibar Coa, who was aboard in her two stakes wins and in the Diana last year.
Trip for A. J., a 4-year-old Trippi filly, proved good enough last year to win four stakes, three on turf, and place in a graded event. Her big win came in the Calder Oaks on grass. Trip for A. J., who finished second in the My Charmer (gr. IIIT) at Calder in December, ran fifth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths in the Marshua’s River (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Jan. 9. Jockey John Velazquez gets a return call from trainer Milton Wolfson.
Category Seven, who will break from post 13, won five consecutive races in Louisiana last year and three of those wins came in stakes. The 6-year-old Gulf Storm mare, trained by Kenneth Hargrave, goes into the Sunshine Millions off a fourth-place effort in the Blushing K. D. Handicap at Fair Grounds over a sloppy track this year. Category Seven gets a new rider in Rajiv Maragh.
Speak Easy Gal, who figures to be vying for the early lead underneath new rider Julien Leparoux, has a graded stakes win over the Gulfstream Park turf, but that triumph came at 1 1/2 miles in the Orchid Handicap (gr. IIT) last March. The victory was part of a four-race win streak. A 5-year-old daughter of West Acre trained by Martin D. Wolfson, Speak Easy Gal finished a distant fifth in the La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Calder this year.
Unbridled Essence is another who goes into the race with a graded win on her resume. The 5-year-old daughter of Essence of Dubai won the Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Monmouth Park in August but hasn’t been out since September. Trainer Greg Sacco gets the return services of jockey Paco Lopez.
Bran Jammas, a 6-year-old by In Excess, will be making her first start outside of California, where she was a stakes winner on grass at Del Mar last August. Alex Solis rides for trainer Peter Eurton.
HRTV will provide coverage of the Sunshine Millions.
$300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf (Gulfstream Park, Race 9, post 4:51 EST), 4 & Up, 1 1/8 Miles (Turf)
Position Horse Weight Rider Trainer
1 Speak Easy Gal 122 J Leparoux M D Wolfson
2 Trip for A. J. 120 J Velazquez M W Wolfson
3 Unbridled Essence 122 P Lopez G Sacco
4 Scolara 122 K Desormeaux W Mott
5 Askbut I Won’ttell 122 S Bridgmohan C Block
6 Wild Mia 120 J Lezcano T Proctor
7 Granted Tiger 122 J Sanchez H Jenkens
8 Omega Cat 122 J Bravo M D Wolfson
9 Dynaslew 122 E Coa S Benzel
10 Becky’s Exchange 122 E Trujillo M Hartmann
11 Romin Robin 122 E Prado D Kassen
12 Bran Jammas 122 A Solis P Eurton
13 Category Seven 122 R Maragh K Hargrave
14 Honeymoon Girl 120 J Castellano C Brown
--Also Eligible--
15 Jet Blue Girl 120 A Garcia P Eurton
