Florida Focus

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Lightening Larry finished up two-and-a-half lengths the better of Cajun’s Magic in second in a final time of 1:12.61 on the fast track. Gatsby was another four-and-three-quarters lengths back in third with Legal Deal, Boca Boy, Legends Can’t Die and Unsociable completing the order of finish.

“I’ll plan another handicap or another [Florida-bred] stakes and then I’ll go back with the big dogs with him,” Delgado continued.

Lightening Larry paid $7 to win.

After winning the Chick Lang, Lightening Larry was fifth in the $108,000 Jersey Shore won by Provocateur at Monmouth Park in August and ninth in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob won by Scaramouche at Parx in September. Delgado gave him two months off before bringing him back to finish third in a high level, $62,500 optional claiming won by No Que No over six furlongs at Gulfstream on Nov. 26 in his last start before the Sunshine Sprint.

Lightening Larry races for Lea Farms LLC, the nom de course of Bill Cosgrove of Cleveland, Ohio, who purchased the son of Uncaptured for $50,000 out of the Pick View consignment at the 2021 OBS March Sale.

He has now won five with four seconds and a third in 13 career starts while earning $363,360.

Bred by Michelle Redding, Lightening Larry is out of Moon and Sun, by Malibu Moon. Moon and Sun has three winners from five starters with Lightening Larry as her only black type earner. Lightening Larry has an unnamed 3-year-old half-brother by The Big Beast; and a 2-year-old, unnamed half-brother by Enticed. n

Exercise rider Daniel Quintero, 19, died as a result of a training accident in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 21 at Tampa Bay Downs.

According to several reports, Quintero was exercising a horse at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Robert Werneth with his feet out of the irons. His horse wheeled and turned into the path of an oncoming horse and collided, killing Quintero.

Quintero was a native of Venezuela and had come to the United States last year with his father Ivan Quintero and brother Darwin Quintero, both of Miami. Daniel’s mother, Jaquelys Rivera, lives in Caracas. An older brother, Diego, resides in Colombia, and a sister, Samantha, and another brother, Juan Pablo, live in Venezuela.

Daniel Quintero was aspiring to become a jockey.

He had also recently galloped horses at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla. before traveling to Tampa Bay Downs to work. n

J & J Stables LLC and Nicholas Vaccarezza’s Sweet Dani Girl won for the first time since her victory in the $150,000 Myrtlewood at Keeneland in October as she took the $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Saturday at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14. The Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf featured a field of nine Florida-bred fillies and mares who went a mile on the grass.

Ridden by Joel Rosario from post three, Sweet Dani Girl took the field of nine Florida-bred fillies and mares into the clubhouse turn while racing just to the inside of Sugar Fix in second.

Coming out of the turn, Sweet Dani Girl jumped out to a solo lead to finish the first quarter-mile in in :24.92 while a length in front of Crystal Coast in second with Sugar Fix third. They stayed in that order down the backstretch to finish the half-mile in :48.84. In the far turn, Crystal Coast raced up to challenge Sweet Dani Girl from between horses as Sugar Fix moved into contention while three-wide. Crystal Coast and Sugar Fix appeared to move past Sweet Dani Girl coming out of the turn before the latter jumped away from her rivals after six furlongs in 1:12.70.

Sweet Dani Girl kept clear down the stretch and held off a late run by Mona Stella to win by a length in 1:35.67 on the firm turf. Mona Stella was second, three-quarters of a length faster than Sugar Fix in third. They were followed, in order, by Sonar, Don’t Get Khozy, Crystal Coast, Extravagant Rosie and Lookinglikeaqueen.

“I had a very good trip,” Rosario said. “She broke sharp and

[assistant trainer] Reynaldo [Abreu] told me to just let her get into her stride and go from there. It looked like we were going to be on the lead but the outside horse [Crystal Coast] had some speed. My filly was there and she was able to keep coming at the end. She was digging in there at the end and getting better.”

Sweet Dani Girl paid $8 to win after making her first start in eight months.

She last raced at Churchill Downs in May when fifth behind winner Matareya in the Grade 2 Eight Belles. Between her victory in the Myrtlewood, which came in her second career start, Sweet Dani Girl was third in the $193,000 Fern Creek won by Marissa’s Lady at Churchill in November of 2021 and fourth in the Grade 2 Davona Dale won by Kathleen O. at Gulfstream Park in March.

Trained by Carlo Vaccarezza, Sweet Dani Girl has now won half of her six career starts with one third and earnings of $209,565.

Sweet Dani Girl is by Ocala Stud stallion Jess’s Dream out of My Sweet Dani Girl, by Scat Daddy and was bred by J & J Stables LLC and Carlo Vaccarezza. Sweet Dani Girl is the only winner from three starters for My Sweet Dani Girl who has an unnamed 2-year-old colt by Adios Charlie and an unnamed yearling colt by Dak Attack. She was bred to Code of Honor in 2022. n

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds’ first-year stallion Chance It, who is Grade 1-placed and was the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association champion 2-year-old male of 2019, was represented by his first reported foal Jan. 4 at Jeff Crooks’ Olsen & Crooks Acres in Ocala, Fla.

Bred by Jeff Crooks, the bay filly is out of the multiple winning mare Jost Sayin, by Big Drama, who hit the board in 12 of 30 career starts with three wins, four seconds and five thirds while banking $93,965.

Chance It, second in his first start as a 2-year-old, won his second start at Gulfstream Park, garnering the highest Beyer Speed Figure of any 2-year-old in the country at that time. He then won the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager; was second, beaten a head, in $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed and romped by more than seven lengths in the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sires Stakes In Reality at a mile-and-a-sixteenth—all at Gulfstream Park.

He went on to win the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream in the first start of his 3-year-old year before sustaining an injury in the Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. In his 4-year-old year, he was second in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream and third in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.

Chance It retired in 2021 with earnings of $583,330.

Chance It is by Currency Swap out of Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect and stands at Journeyman Stallions. His advertised fee this year remains at $2,000, live foal, stands and nurses.

Shooting Star Thoroughbreds Press Release n

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Robert and Lawana Low, Colonel Liam retires with earnings of $1,812,565 from seven wins and a third in 12 starts.

In addition to his two victories in the prestigious Pegasus World Cup Turf in 2021 and 2022, the son of Liam’s Map out of the Bernardini mare Amazement won the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, the Grade 2 Muniz