Fulmine Towers Over Rivals in Gulfstream’s Hutcheson

Twirling Queen Springs 18-1 Upset in $125,000 Captiva Island

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Starry Night Racing’s Fulmine towered over the $125,000 Hutcheson field Saturday at Gulfstream Park, literally and figuratively.

The massive son of Spun to Run, who dwarfed his six rivals as they headed to the starting gate in the six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds, threw his weight around during the 72nd running of the tradition-rich sprint on his way to a 2 ¾-length triumph.

“A lot of nice horses have won the Hutcheson. I’m very happy to have won that,” Fulmine’s trainer Kent Sweezey said.

The Hutcheson was featured on Saturday’s 12-race program along with the $125,000 Any Limit, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, and $125,000 Captiva Island, a five-furlong dash for older fillies and mares that was transferred from turf to the all-weather Tapeta course.

Diciassette, who was sent to post as the 3-5 favorite while coming off solid efforts against some of the top-ranked colts in the country in his two most recent starts, dropped well off the pace after stumbling after the start. Wootun sprinted to the early lead under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, chased by Sweeping Shadow and Freaky Neeks during a 22.26-second first quarter-mile as Fulmine settled in fourth. The Heather Smullen-trained Wootun continued to show the way around the far turn and into the homestretch turn, as Fulmine loomed boldly while making a three-wide sweep around tiring Sweeping Shadow and Freaky Neeks under jockey Jose Morelos.

“The horse broke slow, but I didn’t panic. I was able to relax the horse and put him in a good position,” Morelos said. “At the half-mile pole I asked the horse to run and he responded very well.”

After pulling alongside the pacesetter, Fulmine asserted himself in the stretch to draw off to a decisive win.

“As soon as I saw the favorite stumble out of the gate, I knew we’d get a couple of lengths on him,” Sweezey said.

Fulmine ($9.80) ran the six furlongs in 1:10.82. Wootun held second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Diciassette.

Fulmine was claimed out of a winning performance in a $50,000 maiden claimer at Churchill Downs Oct. 21 in his second career start.

“I watched his first race and liked what I saw. He ran in spots and big horses can be green first time out,” Sweezey said. “He was bet a little the first time he ran. Fifty grand is a lot of money to put on a horse.”

Fulmine made a quick return on that investment with a first-level allowance win going six furlongs at Churchill. After disappointing in a one-turn mile allowance in his next start, Fulmine joined Sweezey’s stable at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, for the winter. He ran twice on turf at Gulfstream without success before winning a six-furlong optional claiming race Feb. 27 at Tampa Bay Downs with an off-the pace victory similar to Saturday’s performance.

“When we took him to Palm Meadows – I’m not sure if the track was deeper there – he didn’t handle the surface very good, so I said, ‘Let’s try the grass. We have to try something,’’’ Sweezey said. “We ran him back at six furlongs at Tampa. He ran better that afternoon. When he crossed the wire, I called the [Gulfstream] racing office and said, ‘Put him in [the Hutcheson].”

Twirling Queen Springs 18-1 Upset in $125,000 Captiva Island

Hernan Gomez’s 5-year-old mare Twirling Queen outran favorite Moon Spun for the early lead and kept going, springing an 18-1 upset in Saturday’s $125,000 Captiva Island at Gulfstream Park.

Originally scheduled for the grass, Twirling Queen ($38.20) ran five furlongs in 56.08 seconds over the all-weather Tapeta course to earn her fifth career stakes victory and second at Gulfstream following the 2024 Melody of Colors, also contested on the synthetic.

Moon Spun, winner of the Abundantia and Ladies Turf Sprint on grass during the Championship Meet, was hustled from her rail post by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano but couldn’t hold off Twirling Queen, who broke outside all but one of her 10 rivals. The opening quarter-mile went in a brisk 21.03 seconds, with Moon Spun chasing in second followed by Karaya and 30-1 longshot Me Governor.

As Moon Spun began to falter leaving the far turn, Twirling Queen began to open up on the field once straightened for home and had plenty left to hold off a swarm of late challengers and win by 1 ½ lengths.

Me Governor got up for second, closely followed by Coco Abarrio, Flamingo Way and Victor Barboza Jr.-trained stablemates Great Venezuela and Le Amazonia. Sunna, 6-5 favorite Moon Spun, Karaya and Taliesin completed the order of finish. Pandora’s Gift was scratched.

Twirling Queen’s three other stakes wins came on turf in 2024 – the Mamzelle at Churchill Downs, Senator Ken Maddy at Del Mar and Coronation Cup at Saratoga, where she also finished fourth by less than a length in the Caress (G3). The daughter of Twirling Candy had one win and one second in six tries last year, taking an open 5 ½-furlong allowance on the Keeneland turf by a head in October.

After finishing sixth in an overnight handicap Nov. 30 at Gulfstream, trainer Jose D’Angelo didn’t bring Twirling Queen back until the Ladies Turf Sprint Feb. 7 when she pressed eventual winner Moon Spun for a half-mile before tiring to be fourth.

“Last year there was nothing with her health, it was just hard to keep her happy. She was a little sour so I took my time with her [and] gave her some time off,” winning trainer Jose D’Angelo said. “[When] I ran her last time she was not 100 percent fit but we were keeping her happy. She needed that race. Now she was working perfect again, like two years ago. Now she’s again the same horse. The plan was to send her to the lead and I knew when she closed [Moon Spun] out we were going to have a good chance.”