Striking Finale Looks to ‘Claim’ Another One in Cellars Shiraz

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Daugherty Racing LLC and Kelly Ramsey’s Striking Finale will seek her fourth victory in five starts since joining trainer Nolan Ramsey’s stable Friday while making her stakes debut in the $75,000 Cellars Shiraz at Gulfstream Park.

The Cellars Shiraz, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for turf, will co-headline Friday’s 10-race program with the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy, a mile stakes for 2-year-old fillies on turf.

Striking Finale, a daughter of Hard Spun who was claimed for $50,000 out of a late-closing runner-up finish April 23 at Gulfstream in her eighth career start, graduated in her first race for Ramsey in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred maiden special weight on Tapeta.

“I’m always looking for horses that want to go two turns on the grass, and it was certainly her. I watched several of her replays leading up to the day of the claim. I really liked the way she ran,” said Ramsey, who was attracted to the Live Oak Plantation homebred by her breeding and off-the-pace running style. “She’s very consistent. It just seemed to me she’d like more ground, and I still feel that way today.”

Striking Finale came up a half-length short of winning her first start against winners in a mile allowance on turf but came right back to win her next two starts going away on turf in a 1 1/16-mile starter allowance and a mile allowance for Florida-breds.

“A mile is about as short as I’d ever want to run her. Obviously, I’d like to find some longer races for her. Nine and 10 furlongs is probably going to be her calling,” Ramsey said. “Being a Florida bred and having all the conditions we have left, we wanted to take advantage of the conditions on hand and run her through her conditions. We’re probably at the point now where we’re going to try stepping out and trying new things.”

Striking Finale, who is priced at 8-1 on the morning-line in a field of 10 entered in the Shiraz, will be coming off a 2 1/2-month freshening.

“She really hadn’t had a break and then I believe we ran her Aug. 2nd and then we came back on two weeks rest and ran her again. I just felt – two really good races, not a whole lot of time between them – she earned some time,” Ramsey said. “We always had this race in the back of our mind. I just wanted to give her enough time to recuperate and bring her in nice and fresh. She couldn’t be doing any better.”

Diego Herrera, who has been aboard for her first four starts for her new connections, has the return call Friday.

Sunshine Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be at Keeneland this weekend for the Breeders’ Cup, but he is well represented in the Cellars Shiraz’s field of 10 by three fillies – C2 Racing Stable LLC, BAG Racing Stables LLC, Barry Fowler and Mark Taylor’s Day to Day, Miller Racing LLC’s Pure Eloquence, and J and J Stables LLC and Mr. and Mrs. Bayne Welker Jr.’s Little Georgie.

Day to Day, a daughter of McKinzie, is coming off a second-place finish in the Sept. 26 John C. Harris (G3) at Santa Anita. She won the Brookmeade Stakes and placed in two others during the Colonial Downs meet.

Pure Eloquence, a supplemental entry who won two of her first four starts before going on a six-month hiatus, makes her second start off the layoff after showing some early speed in her return. Little Georgie, a maiden who had placed in three of five starts at Gulfstream before racing at Colonial Downs and Kentucky Downs without success, will look to graduate in her return.

Edwin Gonzalez has the call on Day to Day, the 2-1 morning-line favorite; Micah Husbands has the mount on Pure Eloquence; who is rated second at 5-2; and Rasheed Hughes is named on Little Georgie, who is priced at 20-1 on the morning line.

Mrs. Paul Shanahan’s Cryingintherain is scheduled to make her second since in North America Friday after making her first four career starts on Tapeta in Great Britian. The Patrick Biancone-trained daughter of Havana Grey finished sixth, beaten by four lengths, in a five-furlong optional allowance on turf Sept. 27.

“It was just a prep race. Five furlongs was a bit short for her,” said Biancone, who expressed his belief that Cryingintherain might be better suited to Tapeta than turf. “Overseas, Tapeta was very good for her. Tapeta could help her.

J.G. Torrealba has the return call on Cryingintherain, who is 10-1 on the morning line.

Michael Nyman’s Come On Teesha will seek to win her third career victory without a loss while making her stakes debut in the Cellars Shiraz. The Michael Morrison-trained daughter of Improbable will also stretch out around two turns for the first time after a pair of strong late-closing victories at five furlongs on turf.

Come On Teesha, who is priced at 5-1 on the morning line, debuted for Joseph with a 2 1/2-length score in an Aug. 24 maiden claiming race. Taken by Nyman for $30,000, the Kentucky-bred filly returned in a Sept. 27 optional claiming allowance, in which she stalked the pace before kicking clear in the stretch by two lengths. Jonathan Ocasio is named to ride Come On Teesha for the first time Friday.

Dona Licha Stables LLC’s Super Sienna, a supplemented daughter of Mendelssohn who was Group 1-placed in Peru, will seek to improve on a sixth-place allowance finish in her recent North American debut for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. Mario Gutierrez, who has arrived from Kentucky to gear up for his second Championship Meet stint, has the mount.

Sea Warrior Stables LLC’s Bayou Brigid, REH LLC’s Bert’s Knoty Girl, and William G. Law Jr. and trainer Gary Jackson’s Rogue Runner round out the field.