Get Stormy, a three-time stakes winner in 2010, looks to begin another successful campaign when facing 11 rivals in the $100,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park. Jan. 9.
Among Get Stormy’s main threats in the 1 1/16-mile turf race will be Blues Street, who won a pair of graded stakes starts a year ago. Both horses will carry top weight of 124 pounds. Bim Bam, a stakes winner on Gulfstream’s turf course last season, and multiple graded stakes victor Battle of Hastings, winner of the River City Handicap (gr. IIIT) last out, are also in the mix.
Sullimar Stable’s Get Stormy won three of six starts for trainer Tom Bush in 2010 including a pair of grade II events at Saratoga—the Fourstardave and Bernard Baruch Handicaps. The son of Stormy Atlantic completed his 4-year-old season by finishing 11th in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs. The New York-based horse will be ridden by regular jockey Javier Castellano.
Anstu Stables’ Blues Street won a pair of graded races in New Orleans as a 6-year-old, taking the Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) and Mervin Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. IIT) in consecutive starts for trainer Todd Pletcher. He has been sidelined since finishing eighth in the Monmouth Cup (gr. III) last June but working steadily at Palm Meadows.
Blues Street, by Street Cry, has won eight of 24 lifetime starts including twice on the Gulfstream lawn. Kent Desormeaux will be in the saddle.
A pair of former Pletcher assistants, Seth Benzel and Michelle Nihei, will be represented in the Ft. Lauderdale. Benzel will send out Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Spectacular, a three-time winner in 2010 during his first season of racing, while Nihei will take her chances with Michael Lynch’s Dr. Smarty Jack, who won once in six tries a year ago.
J D Farm’s Florida-bred Bim Bam defeated Interactif in the Hallandale Beach Stakes at the start of his 2010 season, and won a stakes race at Calder in 11 starts. The 4-year-old son of Deputy Wildcat was also runner-up four times last year for trainer David Brownlee.
British-bred Battle of Hastings broke a 10-race losing streak when he won the Nov. 4 River City Handicap but was graded stakes placed four times in 2010. The Greg Fox trainee is a four-time graded stakes winner and an earner of more than $1.3 million.
Baletti won the Ft. Marcy Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont last year and is three times graded stakes placed.
$100,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (gr. IIIT, Race 8, 4:23 p.m.), 4 & Up, 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Battle of Hastings (GB), J R Leparoux, 122, G Fox
2. Get Stormy (KY), J Castellano, 124, T M Bush
3. Dark Cove (KY), R Maragh, 118, K G McPeek
4. Uncle T Seven (NY), A O Solis, 122, J C Kimmel
5. Blues Street (KY), K J Desormeaux, 124, T A Pletcher
6. Smart Bid (PA), E S Prado, 118, H G Motion
7. Boots Ahead (KY), J Lezcano, 118, G Weaver
8. Souper Spectacular (KY), J R Velazquez, 118, S Benzel
9. Baletti (KY), M R Cruz, 122, A J Penna Jr.
10. Bim Bam (FL), E Coa, 122, D R Brownlee
11. Little Mike (FL), J Bravo, 118, A Iwinski
12. Dr. Smarty Jack (KY), E Trujillo, 118, M Nihei
