Gate to Wire Becomes Main-Track Attraction in Swale Upset

SoCal Shipper Charlies to Blame Goes All the Way in Kitten’s Joy

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — Donegal Racing’s Gate to Wire stamped himself as a main-track attraction Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the son of Munnings scored a 13-1 upset victory in the $165,000 Swale Stakes while making his debut on dirt.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Gate to Wire had raced exclusively on turf and Tapeta in his first four career starts before closing well off a hotly contested pace Saturday to register a five-length victory in the seven-furlong Swale, one of five stakes for 3-year-olds on a 12-race program that also featured the $265,000 Holy Bull (G3) and the $165,000 Forward Gal (G3).

Jockey Dylan Davis rated Gate to Wire well off the pace along the backstretch as 4-5 favorite Gunmetal and 7-5 second-choice Grayscale broke sharply to briefly show the way before being joined to their inside by Macho Music during a 21.93-second first quarter of a mile. The three colts continued to spar while getting the first half-mile in 43.92 seconds. Grayscale was the first to back up from his early efforts approaching the turn into the stretch as Macho Music put more distance between himself and a tiring Gunmetal. Meanwhile, Gate to Wire loomed as a huge threat while making a wide sweep into the stretch. The Pletcher trainee took control on fresh legs through the stretch to notch a decisive victory.

“There was a lot of speed in the race. Todd said try to keep his face clean but I broke as aggressive as I could. I was able to get in a great tracking spot with the three speed pressing each other. It was a matter of my horse handling the dirt and fighting for me,” said Davis after riding Gate to Wire for the first time. “He never had kickback in his face, he handled it well.He was traveling really good. I wanted to sit behind just a little bit longer, but he felt so strong I just said I have to turn him out and get to work on him. He was determined to win. He ran a great race.”

Gate to Wire, who ran seven furlongs in 1:22.51 while winning his first stakes, scored at first asking in a five-furlong turf race Aug. 30 at Saratoga. He followed up with a second-place finish in the six-furlong Futurity (G3) on Aqueduct’s turf course Oct.4 before finishing a troubled 10th in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar. He was never a factor on Tapeta in a five-furlong optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 9.

“He won his debut on the grass and we thought at that point he was training a little better on the grass. He was second in the Futurity and then we ran him in the Breeders’ Cup. Looking to get a race into him here and five furlongs was just too short.,” Pletcher said. “Actually, the original plan was to run him back on relatively short rest in an allowance race and that didn’t fill so we figured let’s take a shot while he’s doing good. It seems like these Munnings run on anything.”

In the aftermath of his upset victory at seven furlongs on dirt, Pletcher has added options for the colt that brought $95,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September sale.

“I’ll talk to [Donegal Racing’s] Jerry [Crawford] and come up with a game plan.,” Pletcher said. “I liked the way he finished today. Who knows, maybe he’ll stretch out a little bit.”

Macho Music, who finished fourth in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man following an awkward start, continued on to finish second, four lengths ahead of Gunmetal, who entered the Swale off an impressive debut victory at Fair Grounds Dec. 26.

SoCal Shipper Charlie’s to Blame Goes All the Way in Kitten’s Joy

BG Stables, Roadrunner Racing, SAF Racing and West Coast Stables LLC’s Charlie’s to Blame made the most of a cross-country ship Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the Southern California-based colt scored a gutsy front-running victory in the $165,000 Kitten’s Joy.

The son of Blame, who had graduated in his third career start last time out at Del Mar, took control of the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds right out of the starting gate. The Peter Burton trainee showed the way past fractions of 23.26 and 47.61 (seconds) for the first half-mile while being closely attended by Walking in Memphis. After rebuffing a strong challenge by Walking in Memphis on the far turn, Charlie’s to Blame, the 3-1 second choice in a field of seven, maintained his lead into the stretch, where he opened a two-length lead in mid-stretch under Luis Saez.

Maui Strong, who was always in striking distance while stalking the pace two-wide in third, would make it interesting in the closing yards, however. The Dale Romans-trained son of Kitten’s Joy who had overcome trouble to finish third in the Dania Beach last time out, surged late but fell a head short of catching the game Charlie’s to Blame. Test Score, the 9-5 favorite, closed mildly to finish third, two lengths farther back.

Charlie’s to Blame, who ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.48, finished fourth on dirt at 5 1/2-furlongs in his Sept. 4 debut at Del Mar. He demonstrated a fondness for turf at Santa Anita Oct. 13 while finishing second, beaten by just a half-length, before encouraging his owners to ship east for the Kitten’s Joy with a front-running 3 1/2-length romp at Del Mar Dec. 1.