Mrs. Candace O Gives Jose Alvarado First Training Victory

Eighth Starter for Son of G3-Winning Trainer Juan Alvarado
Moonstrocity Wears Down Favored Azam in Sunday Feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Mrs. Candace O, a 4-year-old Daredevil filly making her third career start, came with a late run down the center of the track to catch fellow longshot Loyalist in mid-stretch and draw off to win Race 5 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, giving Jose Alvarado his first career training victory.

Sent off at 13-1 under jockey Heriberto Figueroa, Mrs. Candace O ($28.40) covered a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:43.42 to win the maiden claimer for fillies and mares 3 and up by 1 ¾ lengths.

“It’s exciting,” Alvarado said. “We needed it. It came a good time for us, so it’s good.”

Mrs. Candace O was the eighth starter for Alvarado, 39, a native of the Dominican Republic whose father, Juan, formerly trained for Ocala, Fla.-based Arindel and won Grade 3 stakes with Clapton, Key Biscayne and millionaire Octane.

“I came here young with my dad back in the Calder days,” Alvarado said. “I’ve always been involved with my dad’s training. I worked for Fred Warren, the late David Brownlee, and I worked for Arindel. We’ve been around.”

Jose Alvarado’s first starter came April 19, 2025 when In the Blue ran eighth at Tampa Bay Downs. He ran two more horses last year and has five starters this year, the last three with Ms. Candace O at Gulfstream.

Bred in Florida by Bridlewood Farm, who co-owns the filly with Alvarado, Ms. Candace O ran sixth in debut sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta May 31 and was last of five in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight June 27 over the main track. She broke from the rail Sunday and was unhurried early but closed to within a head at the top of the stretch until soaring past in the lane.

“I thought she had a good shot,” Alvarado said. “The distance, the stretching out was going to help her a lot. She kind of doesn’t like to be rushed, and I thought the dropdown would hopefully wake her up today.”

Alvarado is based at the Ocala Horse Farm Complex where he said he currently has two horses and a mare in foal.

“A friend of mine introduced me to the guys at Bridlewood and they gave me an opportunity to train their horses,” he said. “I’m very grateful.”

Moonstrocity Wears Down Favored Azam in Sunday Feature

Blue Rose Farm’s Moonstrocity, adding blinkers and moving from Tapeta to dirt off a fourth in the June 6 Not Surprising, wore down favored Azam through the stretch and got up to win Sunday’s Race 8 feature at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Jose Morelos for trainer Jena Antonucci, Moonstrocity ($7.60) covered one mile over a fast main track in 1:37.91 in the optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds for his second win in three starts after beating older horses at the course and distance May 8.

Moonstrocity, by 2020 Holy Bull (G3), Florida Derby (G1), Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1) winner Tiz the Law, debuted Feb. 8 at Gulfstream and ran seventh in the April 4 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland in his third start.

SBS Global’s Azam, sent off at 6-5, was racing for the first time since finishing fifth in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan (G2) May 9 at Aqueduct. The McKinzie colt has hit the board in each of his other starts with a win, two seconds and one third.