Pricey So Icy Makes Winning Debut at Gulfstream Park

$700K Yearling Graduates by 1 ½ Lengths in Maiden Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Morplay Racing LLC, Sonata Stable, Denali Stud, Marquee Bloodstock and KAS Ultimate Racing’s So Icy turned in a thoroughly professional debut performance Saturday at Gulfstream Park, looking well worth her $700,000 purchase price.

The 2-year-old daughter of Yaupon broke on top in Race 8, a six-furlong maiden special weight for juvenile fillies, before settling into a stalking position behind pacesetter Practical Bling on the backstretch and into the far turn during a 22.09-second first quarter of a mile over a muddy track.

So Icy advanced steadily on the turn into the homestretch under jockey Leonel Reyes, taking over the lead at the top of the stretch following a 45.83-second half-mile. The Kentucky-bred filly, who was purchased at the OBS March 2-year-olds-in-training sale, drew off to a clear lead in the stretch with only mild urging to prevail over runner-up Street Queen by a comfortable length.

By Yaupon out of the unraced Candy Ride mare Tempered, So Icy prepped for her debut with seven works since early August at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“She’s a nice filly. Very smart,” said trainer Jose D’Angelo, noting that So Icy acted up somewhat when she took to the track for the first time and was briefly reluctant to enter the starting gate. “Everything was new to her. After she loaded, she broke like she broke at Palm Meadows.”

So Icy ran six furlongs in 1:11.44 over a track turned muddy by heavy showers. D’Angelo has no immediate goals for the promising filly.

“She’ll tell us when she’s ready, and we’ll go from there,” D’Angelo said.