Smile Sprint Winner Viking Returns in Black Diamond Cat

Stretches Out to One Mile for Saturday’s Overnight Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s 5-year-old Viking, a dominant front-running winner of the Smile Sprint in his South Florida debut earlier this month, stretches out but remains around one turn for his next assignment in Saturday’s $70,000 Black Diamond Cat overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The one-mile Black Diamond Cat for 3-year-olds and up takes top billing when the Royal Palm Meet resumes with a nine-race program to kick off the final month of the summer stand. Post time is 12:20 p.m.

Viking, a bay son of $5.7 million earner City of Light that fetched $450,000 as a yearling, raced exclusively in the Midwest since his November 2024 debut with two wins from nine starts before joining Gulfstream-based trainer David Fawkes in the spring.

In his first two races this year, Viking was beaten a head when second in a one-mile allowance Feb. 26 and ran a troubled eighth in a similar spot going 1 1/16 miles March 28, both around two turns at Oaklawn Park.

Fawkes and the Lieblongs have enjoyed much success together over the years, most recently with Florida homebred Reef Runner, the Grade 1-winning multimillionaire that will miss the rest of his 5-year-old season recovering from a soft tissue injury.

“He wasn’t doing any good out there in Arkansas, so they decided to give him a whirl down here and see. Sometimes just a change of scenery can do wonders,” Fawkes said. “I knew he was doing a lot better. He had some issues that we worked on, and it seemed to turn him around.”

Viking breezed four times at Gulfstream ahead of the July 4 Smile Sprint, which marked a cutback to six furlongs. Sent off at 7-1, Viking set sharp fractions of 21.81 and 44.52 seconds and kept going, opening up through the stretch to win his stakes debut by 4 ½ lengths in 1:09.71 over a fast main track.

“It did take me a little bit by surprise how fast he ran,” Fawkes said. “Did I think he was competitive in the race? Yes, or I wouldn’t have put him in there. I was a little bit surprised how good he ran. He really ran huge.”

Viking emerged from the Smile Sprint in good order and turned in an easy half-mile breeze in 49.13 seconds July 25 at Gulfstream. Leonel Reyes is named to ride from Post 4 as the 8-5 program favorite in a field of seven at co-topweight of 123 pounds.

“He’s put some weight on, he’s gotten a lot sounder and he’s enjoying his training. He’s just doing good,” Fawkes said. “I know this next race is going to be a little bit of a stretch, but we’ll see. I think the flat mile’s not going to bother him, the one turn. He’s got a good post and if he makes the lead, great.”

Amy Dunne and Patrick Biancone’s Classic of Course and Saint George’s Rolando also exit the Smile Sprint, where they respectively finished second and fifth. Classic of Course (Post 2, J.G. Torrealba, 7-2, 120) won the Awesome Banner overnight handicap at the course and distance and the 7 ½-furlong Cutler Bay on the Gulfstream turf eight months apart last year. Rolando (Post 1, Diego Herrera, 9-2, 123) most recently won Gulfstream’s seven-furlong Big Drama June 6.

Michael and Jules Iavarone and TCC Stables’ 7-year-old Steal Sunshine (Post 5, Samy Camacho, 4-1, 122) is set to make his 40th career start in the Black Diamond Cat out of a third-place finish in the one-mile Wildcat Red overnight handicap July 3 when he got away slowly and came with a late run, beaten 3 ½ lengths by Bobby Dibona-trained stablemate Back Em Up. Steal Sunshine is 6-for-16 lifetime at the distance including the 2024 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Madaket Stables, Panic Stable and William Strauss’ French-bred Divin Propos (Post 4, Rasheed Hughes, 5-1, 120) is entered to make his dirt debut following 21 starts on turf. Trained by Royal Palm Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., the Grade 3-placed 6-year-old gelding is unraced since finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Barbados Gold Cup March 7.

Completing the field are Fiveeyesonskystars (Post 6, Miguel Vasquez, 20-1, 117), a last-out winner sprinting seven furlongs June 7 at Gulfstream, and multiple stakes-placed Awesome Train (Post 7, Anthony Thomas, 15-1, 117).

Florida-bred Black Diamond Cat made 66 starts over seven seasons of racing between 2009 and 2015, placing third or better 28 times with nine wins, five in stakes, and $500,579 in purse earnings for Bluestone Thoroughbreds and late trainer Larry Bates.