Mattingly Goes Yard in $100,000 Umphrey Sprint

Miss Mary Nell Wins $100,000 Ginger Punch Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Ironhorse Racing Stable and Harlow Stables’ Mattingly, making his second start off a three-month layoff, split horses in mid-stretch and outran favored Thought Control to the wire for a dramatic neck victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Bob Umphrey Sprint at Gulfstream Park.

The 36th running of the five-furlong Umphrey for 3-year-olds and up was the first of three stakes worth $425,000 in purses anchored by the $225,000 Princess Rooney (G3), a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

Inaugurated at Calder Race Course in 1991 as the Calder Turf Sprint, renamed in 2006 and run at Gulfstream since 2014, the Umphrey was contested over the all-weather Tapeta course for the fifth consecutive year. It was scheduled for Tapeta in 2022 and 2023 and rained off the grass the last three years.

The 5-year-old Mattingly was racing for the second time as a gelding following an eighth-place finish in the May 3 Thirsty Fish overnight handicap on Tapeta. In his Aug. 9 comeback race, the five-furlong Warrior’s Pride overnight handicap over the Gulfstream turf, he was beaten less than a length by Joe Orseno-trained stablemate Extendo, who also returned in the Umphrey.

Orseno also entered Rezasrolex, who had earned 11 of his 15 career wins on the Tapeta, but scratched after shipping him back from Virginia where he was under consideration for the Da Hoss on the Colonial Downs turf Sept. 7.

Bred in Florida by Lance Colwell out of the Grand Slam mare Battingstar, Mattingly ($11) completed the distance in 56.37 seconds under California-based jockey Juan Hernandez and earn his fourth career win in 20 starts to go along with five seconds and five thirds, boosting his lifetime bankroll over $400,000.

“We ran him here and he wasn’t right so we decided to give him some time. We gelded him, not that he was a mean horse or anything. [Trainer David] Fawkes gelded Reef Runner and turned him into a superstar. He’s my friend and after he did that I said, ‘Why don’t we try it?’” Orseno said. “We think [Mattingly] is a pretty nice horse, a very talented horse. He had a couple horrendous trips out here, but I knew he had the tools.”

Hernandez, in town to ride Grade 1-placed Simply Joking in the Princess Rooney, picked up the mount on Mattingly. They broke alertly from the rail but Hernandez settled the son of Bucchero as the trailer behind a blistering pace of 20.82 seconds set by Esperon and pressed by Thought Control, with stakes winner Sunna – the only filly in the field of eight – inside in third.

The half went in 43.66 seconds with Esperon clinging to a short lead over Thought Control and Hernandez patiently waiting for room on the inside rounding the far turn. Once straightened for home, Hernandez found a seam alongside Esperon and engaged with Thought Control inside the eighth pole, edging clear late.

“He broke beautiful from the gate, but there were a lot of good speed horses earlier, so I decided to save ground and make one run,” Hernandez said. “At the three-eighths pole, when I came out between horses, my horse was there for me. When I asked him to pick it up, he responded to me.”

Orseno was thrilled to gain the services of Hernandez, a winner of more than 3,000 career races and a three-time Grade 1 winner this year including the Del Mar Futurity and Del Mar Debutante over Labor Day weekend.

“When I heard [Hernandez] was coming out here, I told him, ‘Please ride my horse,’” Orseno said. “I said I had another horse in there named Rezasrolex that’s a pretty good horse … but I’m not sure I’m going to run him because he just got here from Colonial, so I want you on Mattingly because he’s really doing well.

“He believed me and it just all worked out,” he added. “He gave him a great ride, and the horse was full of run. You can’t do it without the horse. I knew he was coming up to a big race.”

Thought Control, an older half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winning 3-year-old sprinter Englishman, was 1 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Esperon. Rouki, Itza Boss, Full Disclosure, Extendo and Sunna completed the order of finish.

“After his last trip I was so frustrated that I told the owner I wanted to put him on a van and take him to Belmont and try their synthetic track. He said no, this horse is a Florida-bred and I want to keep him here, so we tried again,” Orseno said. “I don’t think five-eighths is his best distance, but he ran well today. Hopefully we can get 5 ½ [furlongs] next time.”

Bob Umphrey was born in Portland, Maine but raised in Hallandale, Fla., about a half-mile from Gulfstream Park, where he became the claims clerk in 1975 after working under trainers Gene Umphrey, his father, and Budd Lepman. Umphrey served in various capacities at Gulfstream, Atlantic City, Hialeah, Laurel Park, Arlington Park, Timonium, Hollywood Park and Golden Gate Fields before becoming racing secretary at Calder in 1993. Known for his hands-on and innovative approach in attracting horsemen to South Florida, Umphrey passed away unexpectedly in 2006 at the age of 53.

Miss Mary Nell Wins $100,000 Ginger Punch Handicap

Palm Beach Racing’s Florida homebred Miss Mary Nell wrested the lead from longshot pacesetter Lets Go Koko on the far turn, opened up down the center of the stretch under substitute rider Jonathan Ocasio and was resolute in winning Saturday’s $100,000 Ginger Punch Handicap by three-quarters of a length at Gulfstream Park.

Originally carded for one mile on the grass, the Ginger Punch was rained onto the all-weather Tapeta course and contested at a mile and 70 yards, similarly around two turns.

Ocasio was riding in place of jockey Leonel Reyes, who took off his final three mounts of the day after being involved in a spill shortly after the start of Race 6. Reyes, who had been aboard in four of Miss Mary Nell’s prior five starts, walked off the track and reported only body soreness. His mount, Redhotnotbothered, was uninjured.

“I feel bad that Leonel had a spill earlier. He’s OK but it’s better he takes the rest of the afternoon off and come back next week,” trainer Carlos David said. “I feel bad that he had to take off, but Jonathan did a really good job.”

It was Lets Go Koko that got a jump on the rest of the field from her inside post position, but Ocasio was able to get Miss Mary Nell ($10.80) into a challenging spot racing third from their post outside all but one rival. The opening quarter-mile went in 24.47 seconds with Crafty Collector pressing the leader.

Miss Mary Nell took over as the second following a half in 48.13 seconds and kept rolling to overtake Lets Go Koko midway around the far turn as Hello Hello Hello moved up on even terms with the tiring pacesetter. Miss Mary Nell was firmly in control at the top of the stretch and kept on gamely as Defiant Lass and 2-1 favorite Fantasy Performer battled behind her for second.

“[David said] to just keep comfortable with her, but if somebody goes, just stay behind them,” Ocasio said. “That’s what we did and she responded very well.”

Fantasy Performer edged Defiant Lass by a neck for second, followed by Lets Go Koko, City Minute, Hello Hello Hello, Spicy Princess, Ghosts Lil Secret and Crafty Collector. Barakah, a March 29 debut winner in her lone start, was scratched.

Miss Mary Nell has earned six of her seven lifetime wins on Tapeta including the South Beach overnight handicap Jan. 24, also at a mile and 70 yards. She had gone winless in seven subsequent starts, most recently running third by 1 ¼ lengths after taking the lead into the stretch of the Aug. 16 Frolic’s Revenge overnight handicap on the Gulfstream turf.

“I wanted to get the lead, but I told Jonathan she doesn’t need to get it. I would rather go to the lead and just kind of walk it, but if somebody else goes you can sit off a little bit and she’ll be OK,” David said. “She ran good on the grass last time, but I also thought coming off the turf was an advantage for us.”

Bred in Florida by Adena Springs for owner Stronach Stable, Ginger Punch won the Eclipse Award as champion older mare of 2007 when she won five of eight starts including the Go for Wand (G1) and Ruffian (G1) handicaps and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). Trained by late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, she retired with a record of 12-6-2 from 22 starts with more than $3 million in purse earnings.