Naughty Rascal Holds Off Classic of Course in Proud Man
Stakes for 2YOs Provide Preps for FTBOA Sire Stakes Series
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Point Estimated at $250,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In lived up to her 1-2 favoritism and then some Saturday at Gulfstream Park, following up a sharp maiden score with a thoroughly dominating triumph in the $95,000 Sharp Susan.

The Sharp Susan, a six-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies, co-headlined Saturday’s 11-race program with the $95,000 Proud Man, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds. For many of their participants, both stakes provided dress rehearsals for the upcoming FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Series.

While Win N Your In was always in the clear while graduating by 7 ½ lengths in a fast time July 6, the daughter of Win Win Win had to make her own room to prevail by 4 ¾ lengths under Miguel Vasquez.

Win N Your In broke sharply but relinquished pacesetting honors to Wiggle An’ Wine, a recent debut winner who left her rail post position alertly under Emisael Jaramillo. The odds-on favorite settled nicely behind Wiggle An’ Wine and inside Vuela Paloma along the backstretch and on the far turn before being asked to slip inside the pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch. Win N Your In showed no hesitation while squeezing in the tight opening between Wiggle An’ Wine and the inside rail before surging to a clear lead entering the stretch and drawing away.

“She really delivered today. I didn’t want her on the lead. I told Miguel, ‘There are horses in the race with speed. Let them go to the lead and sit in the pocket,’” trainer Carlos David said. “I was a little worried coming into the turn. He really didn’t have much room, and he kind of forced her. They nicked her a little bit on the knee, but it’s not a big deal. It’s just superficial. Once she got through the hole, I saw him drop his hands and she was just cruising.”

Win N Your In ran six furlongs in 1:11.30. Wiggle An’ Wine, the 2-1 second betting choice, finished second, two lengths behind late rallying Bee a Queen. All three fillies are Florida Sire Stakes eligible.

“We’re trying to aim for those Florida Sire Stakes races, and they get longer and longer. The longer they go, the better it is to rate. She’s doing it on her own,” said David, who saddled three winners on Saturday’s card. Vasquez also visited the winner’s circle three times.

The $100,000 Desert Vixen, a six-furlong stakes for fillies, and the $100,000 Dr. Fager, a six-furlong open division for 2-year-olds, will kick off the Florida Sire Stakes series Sept. 7 at Gulfstream Park. The $200,000 Susan’s Girl (fillies) and $200,000 Affirmed will be contested at seven furlongs Oct. 19. The $300,000 My Dear Girl (fillies) and the $300,000 In Reality will be run at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 30.

Mr. Pug LLC and JPG 2 LLC’s Naughty Rascal withstood a stretch-long challenge from 6-5 favorite Classic of Course to capture the Proud Man by a neck.

Naughty Rascal, a Florida-bred of Rogueish, is not nominated to the Florida Sire Stakes series. Classic of Course, a son of Awesome of Course who is eligible for the lucrative series, finished 3 ½ lengths clear of third-place finisher Joey Muscles, who rallied after being blocked at the top of the stretch..

Gerald Bennett-trained Naughty Rascal ($18) stalked a strong pace set by I’mbiggerthanilook along the backstretch before sweeping to the lead entering the stretch, where he met a challenge from Classic of Course, who finished fourth in the Tremont at Aqueduct after winning his debut at Gulfstream. Naughty Rascal was up to the challenge under a rigorous ride by Edwin Gonzalez.

Naughty Rascal, who was coming off a July 21 debut victory at Gulfstream, ran six furlongs in 1:11.92.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $250,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $250,000 Sunday Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the eighth racing day following a July 30 mandatory payout.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, featuring veteran win machine Fly the W’s bid for a fourth consecutive victory in Race 8, a 7 ½-furlong optional claiming starter allowance on turf for 3-year-olds and up. The Bobby Dibona-trained 8-year-old gelding has won 19 races from 40 starts.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Notes: St. Elias Stable’s Rated by Merit, who dazzled while winning his July 13 debut and producing a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, breezed four furlongs in 49.10 Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park. The homebred son of Battalion Runner is eligible for the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series … Virgina Gamble’s Beth’s Dream, who is undefeated in three starts this year, breezed three-furlongs in 35.78 for a scheduled start in next Saturday’s $100,000 Sheer Drama, a seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares.