Vito’s Wildcat Favored in Friday’s Juvenile Feature

G3 Senorita Up Next for Gulfstream Stakes Winner Cloe
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Encouraged by the last work, a sharp half-mile out of the gate against an elder stablemate, trainer David Fawkes will unveil Monarch Stables Inc. 2-year-old homebred Vito’s Wildcat Friday at Gulfstream Park.

The open 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight is the second juvenile race of the season in South Florida, following Thursday’s similar event for 2-year-old fillies. It goes as Race 2 on a nine-race program that begins at 12:50 p.m.

Vito’s Wildcat drew Post 2 under Paco Lopez and is the 9-5 program favorite in an overflow field of 13 that includes three horses on the also-eligible list.

“I like the little guy. He’s all right. If he breaks quick, he’ll be right there,” Fawkes said. “It’s all in the break going 4 ½. If you don’t break, you’re done.”

Vito’s Wildcat is by Greenpointcrusader, winner of the 2015 Champagne (G1) in his third start at 2. Of his 35 2-year-old first-time starters, Greenpointcrusader has had five winners (14 percent).

Since joining Fawkes’ string at Gulfstream, Vito’s Wildcat has breezed four times over the main track including a half-mile move from the gate in 47.93 seconds April 12, ninth-fastest of 79 horses.

“He’s just one of those honest horses that goes out there and gives you what he’s got,” Fawkes said. “He hasn’t blown up the clock but his last work, I worked him with an older horse and he beat the older horse. He worked really nice, and the clockers actually texted me that they thought he had a nice work.”

Another intriguing prospect is Arindel’s Jalapeno, a homebred son of Adios Charlie that drew Post 8 with jockey Edgard Zayas and is rated at 4-1 on the morning line. Adios Charlie, a Grade 2 winner that broke his maiden against older horses as a 3-year-old in March 2011, has had 24 winners from 185 2-year-old first-time starters (12 percent).

“He’s doing excellent. He’s a very talented and gifted horse. He’s doing everything right,” said trainer Jose D’Angelo, who turned 35 Thursday. “He came from Arindel very sharp. I just put on the finishing touches, and he has responded very well. He’s a horse that already has some good size.”

Jalapeno was a regular workmate of Arindel’s Monster, a Leinster colt that finished fourth in debut April 7 at Keeneland after breaking a step slow and encountering trouble at the start of the 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight.

“He’d been working with Monster, who ran pretty good at Keeneland. He’s a horse that needs to go a little longer, but 4 ½ furlongs for the first time is going to be all right,” D’Angelo said. “[Monster] missed the break, but he ran beautiful. It was a good race. We are excited about him, too.”

G3 Senorita Up Next for Gulfstream Stakes Winner Cloe

Lugamo Racing Stable’s 3-year-old filly Cloe, front-running upset winner of the March 23 Melody of Colors sprinting on the Gulfstream Park turf, will make her graded-stakes debut later this month in California.

By 2020 Florida Derby (G1)-winning multimillionaire Tiz the Law, Cloe is being pointed to the $100,000 Senorita (G3) April 27 at Santa Anita going 6 ½ furlongs on its downhill turf course. In her third start and first on the grass, Cloe defeated favored Me Governor by 1 ¾ lengths in the Melody of Colors.

“Everything is excellent with her,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said. “We are going to Santa Anita on the 27th. That is the plan for the moment.”

D’Angelo saddled another of his 3-year-old fillies, Morplay Racing’s Shisospicy, to a popular half-length triumph in the 5 ½-furlong Limestone April 11 on the Keeneland turf. A two-time winner at Gulfstream including a Feb. 5 optional claiming allowance in her prior start, Shisospicy also won in gate-to-wire fashion.

“She’s in Kentucky. She started back jogging this week,” D’Angelo said. “We are looking forward to a race like the Coronation Cup at Saratoga or something at Churchill [Downs]. We’ll see how she trains and we’ll figure out. She ran so good the other day. The track was [rated] good and she responded wire-to-wire.”

Meanwhile Soldi Stable and Qatar Racing’s Gabaldon is recovering from surgery following his third-place finish behind stablemate Incanto in Gulfstream’s March 22 Texas Glitter. It was the first race for the 3-year-old Gabaldon, who captured the Royal Palm Juvenile in debut last May, since a runner-up effort in the Windsor Castle Stakes in June at Royal Ascot.

“We did throat surgery on him, so he’s at the farm resting,” D’Angelo said. “He’ll be there like one month more probably. We’ll look forward to Saratoga.”

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be estimated at $75,000 for Friday’s nine-race program at Gulfstream Park.

Post time is 12:50 p.m.

Friday’s sequence spans Races 4-9, capped by an optional claiming allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for five furlongs on the grass. Baoma Corporation’s 4-year-old Condora, unraced since last August, launches her comeback as the 9-5 program favorite. She has been third or better in five of seven starts including three wins.

Notes: Jockey Miguel Vasquez and trainer Gary Jackson combined for a pair of winners Thursday, Travel Happy ($5.40) in Race 3 and Mywifeknowsitall ($7.20) in Race 7.