Jockey Sonny Leon Pulls Off Kentucky Derby Day Upset

Spirit Doll, Rasheed Hughes Get Dream Trip in Honey Ryder
Governor Sam Set for 2026 Debut in Sunday’s Thirsty Fish

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Four years after shocking the racing world by riding Rich Strike to a longshot victory in the 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1), jockey Sony Leon pulled off a little bit of an upset Saturday at Gulfstream Park, scoring a front-running victory aboard 17-1 longshot Bolero Bay in the $125,000 English Channel Stakes.

“I feel good. This week brings back a lot of memories of that day I won the Kentucky Derby. Every year when I watch my Derby, I feel motivated, like I can do more,” Leon said. “Today, we got a stakes – it’s not the Kentucky Derby but it was a stakes win with a longshot.”

Mast Thoroughbreds LLC’s Bolero Bay outsprinted favorite Redland Rebels to take a lead heading into the first turn that he would never relinquish on his way to a 1 ½-length victory in the mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds. The Michael Yates-trained son of Basin, who was coming off a 4 ½-length optional claiming allowance win on Tapeta, ran a mile in 1:33.27 to capture his stakes debut.

Bolero Bay, who veered out briefly in deep stretch as My Favorite Bird was making a late run, had to survive an objection lodged by second-place finisher My Favorite Bird before claiming his stakes debut. Zephyros finished third, 1 ¼ lengths back.

Leon capped his productive Derby Day with a winning ride aboard Mark Casse-trained No More War ($7) in Race 10.

Earlier on Saturday’s program, jockey Rasheed Hughes provided Peachtree Stable’s Spirit Doll ($5.40) with a dream trip on the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee’s way to victory in the co-featured $125,000 Honey Ryder, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Spirit Doll, who had raced evenly in her two most recent starts in graded stakes, saved ground while tracking pacemakers Classic Move and Laigina into the stretch before surging to the lead in early stretch and drawing off to win by 1 ¾ lengths.

“We got a perfect trip. I used her a little out of the gate to find the perfect position,” said Hughes following his second of three winning rides Saturday for fellow Barbados native Joseph. “She was full of run when I took her out.”

Spirit Doll ran a mile in 1:32.77 while wearing blinkers for the first time. Laigina finished second, a neck ahead of Classic Move.

Hughes, who rode the Joseph-trained Harrow to victory in last year’s Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup, also visited the winner’s circle aboard Self Loader ($21.60) in Race 1 and Nasti Z ($4.80) in Race 9 on only his second day of riding at Gulfstream.

“Saffie took a chance on me, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” said Hughes, who had ridden the past two years at Century Downs and Turf Paradise.

Governor Sam Set for 2026 Debut in Sunday’s Thirsty Fish

Bregman Family Racing LLC and Swinbank Stables LLC’s Governor Sam has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for his 2026 debut in Sunday’s $75,000 Thirsty Fish, a five-furlong overnight handicap for older horses on turf, at Gulfstream Park.

The George Weaver-trained Grade 1 stakes-placed 4-year-old gelding, whose 2025 campaign included a victory in the Quick Call (G3) at Saratoga and a third-place finish in the Franklin Simpson (G1) at Kentucky Downs, most recently finished off the board in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar.

Governor Sam will be ridden by Paco Lopez, who guided the son if Improbable to a third-place finish in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar.

Governor Sam has been assigned highweight of 126 pounds, between three and eight pounds more than his nine rivals.

Millionaire Coppola is scheduled to make his first start for trainer Tareq Mubarak in the Thirsty Fish. The 7-year-old gelding, who earned $1,011,061 for owner Sport of Kings Racing Partnerships LLC while formerly trained by Dale Romans, is a multiple-stakes winner at Gulfstream Park going five furlongs on turf.

The Thirsty Fish in Race 9 will headline Sunday’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence that will span Races 4-9. The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday following a $47,553.78 jackpot hit on Friday. The jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $50,000 Sunday.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. On mandatory payout days, the entire pool is disbursed to the bettor or bettors holding tickets with the most winners in the six-race sequence.