Steinbrenner's "Breeze" Wins Fla. Oaks
Southeast -- Gilbert
Campbell's homebred Ivanavinalot
($4) ran down the pacesetting My Boston Gal in the stretch to score a 1
3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes (Grade II) on
Friday at Gulfstream Park.
John Velazquez was in the saddle as the Kathleen
O'Connell-trained daughter of West Acre won for the first time in 2003
and the sixth time in nine career starts. She was coming off a distant
runner-up finish to Yell in her most recent start in last month's Davona
Dale (GII).
Ivanavinalot set the pace in four of her previous victories, but
settled in behind My Boston Gal and jockey Pat Day until Velazquez turn
his filly loose on the far turn. The two fillies dueled through the
stretch until Ivanavinalot pulled clear in the final yards of the mile
and an eighth test.
''I was happy with the way the race set up, with us on the
outside tracking the speed," said O'Connell. "It turned out perfectly."
Holiday Lady rallied for third in the field of seven, 3
1/4-lengths behind the runner-up. The Florida-bred Ivanavinalot covered
the nine-furlong distance over a "fast track" in 1:50.72.
Trainer Carl Nafzger was happy with the effort by My Boston Gal,
who was coming off a distant fifth place finish as the favorite in the
Davona Dale. The Boston Harbor filly was found to have suffered from a
breathing problem in that race.
"We were very pleased with My Boston Gal's performance today,"
Nafzger told the Daily Racing Form. "She got nothing out of her first
race here and a very good filly beat us."
Barrister Hall Stable's Midnight Cry ($11.20) rallied four-wide
on the far turn and pulled away to a 2 3/4-length victory in the
$100,000 Stonerside Forward Gal Stakes (GIII) on Friday's Bonnie Miss
undercard at Gulfstream Park.
Edgar Prado was in the saddle as the Ken McPeek-trained Midnight
Cry covered seven furlongs in 1:22.55 as she defeated the late running
Final Round and Chimichurri. Favored Fast Cookie was close early, but
faded to sixth.
Final Round was impressive in her runner-up finish. She
stumbled and went to her knees at the start, but rallied strongly in the
stretch under jockey Pat Day.
Favored Ebony Breeze -- owned and bred by the Kinsman Stable of
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner --
held off Dakota Light for a half-length victory in Sunday's $250,000
Florida Oaks (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs.
Louisiana-born Mark Guidry was aboard the daughter of the Bill
Mott-trained daughter of Belong To Me as she scored her first graded
stakes victory and her third consecutive stakes win over the Tampa Bay
Downs track.
Ebony Breeze covered the 1 1/16-mile distance over a "fast"
track in 1:45.20 as she won for the fourth time in eight races and
boosted her career earnings past the $230,000 mark.
Crimson and Roses, who dueled for the early lead with Ebony
Breeze, finished third.
West -- Curt and Lila Lanning's Amber
Hills ($24) grabbed a big early lead and held on for a neck victory over
Mavoreen in Saturday's $82,625 California Oaks at Northern California's
Golden Gate Fields.
Maiden Quero Quero was third and favored Lucky Sabre was fourth.
Gary Baze rode the winner, who covered
1 1/16-miles in 1:44.25 over a "fast" track for trainer Ed Moger, Jr.
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