Extendo Back Home for Sunday’s Successful Native Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – After shipping to New York to run in the June 8 Jaipur (G1) at Saratoga, Robert Cotran’s Extendo has returned to the state of his birth to run in Sunday’s $70,000 Successful Native Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The 5-year-old son of Handsome Mike will carry highweight of 124 pounds, between two and eight pounds more than his eight rivals in the 5 ½-furlong sprint stakes for 3-year-olds and up on Tapeta, whose purse includes $13,000 in incentives for Florida-breds.

“When we saw this handicap. With him being a Florida-bred and getting to run for the whole thing, we thought we’d bring him back for that,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “That’s why he’s there – because he’s a Florida-bred.”

Extendo’s stellar record over Gulfstream’s Tapeta course was also an incentive. He has run 10 races over the all-weather surface, producing six victories, two seconds and a third. Prior to running in the five-furlong Jaipur over a ‘good’ turf, Extendo scored back-to-back victories going five furlongs at Gulfstream, registering a front-running optional claiming allowance score on Tapeta before winning a starter allowance on turf.

Extendo was steadied briefly before racing evenly to finish sixth in a field of 10 while making the big leap into Grade 1 company.

“It was supposed to be him and Eamonn, but Eamonn kicked himself before the race and couldn’t make it,” said Orseno, referring to Extendo’s multiple graded stakes-winning stablemate. “We decided to go with [Extendo]. He hates soft turf and he hates Saratoga soft turf. He ran over it one time, not for me, but he didn’t run any good. We decided to keep him in. We gave it a shot. He ran excellent. I think if the track would have been to his liking, he would have been right there. As it was, he only got beat 5 ½ lengths.”

Extendo has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for his return in the Successful Native. Edwin Gonzalez, who made it to the winner’s circle in his first ride aboard Extendo in his Jaipur prep, has the call.

Extendo will be accompanied in the starting gate by stablemate And Uwish, who is owned by Orseno, Adam Parker and Suzette Parker. The 4-year-old son of Mshawish, who was a winner of one of three starts last year, returned from a 13-month layoff to win a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf May16. The Florida-bred gelding weakened to sixth in his next start, also on turf. He has impressed his trainer with a series of breezes on the Tapeta course, over which he won his debut.

“He came back great. In that last race, he hit himself and popped a little splint bone that I had to freeze fire. That’s all fixed and he’s in good shape. There was no 2-other-than [allowance] for him, so we decided to put him in there and see where he fits,” Orseno said.

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard And Uwish, who is rated third at 9-2 on the morning-line.

David Bernsen LLC and Leon King Stable Corp.’s Biz Biz Buzz, a 6-year-old gelding with a long, solid record in five-furlong sprints on turf and Tapeta, is rated second on the morning line at 4-1. Claimed for $62,500 Feb. 28, the son of Fed Biz finished a close-up third behind Eamonn in his first start for trainer Jose D’Angelo in the Silks Run before racing evenly to finish fourth in his next two races.

Yolber Torres, a promising apprentice who cannot take advantage of his seven-pound allowance in a stakes, has the mount.

Endsley Oaks Farm Inc.’s Louie the Sun King, an ultra-consistent Tapeta performer with a 3-2-1 record in seven all-weather starts, is rated at 6-1 on the morning line. Luca Panici returns aboard the Kathleen O’Connell-trained son of Awesome Slew.

Viejo Perre Stable Corp.’s Abrir Caminos, Servicios Y Contstrucciones La Esmeraldo Corp.’s Sosua Summer, David Romanik and Ron Spatz’s Private Thoughts and J J Brevan Stable LLC’s Asher’s Edge round out the field.