SUNSHINE MILLIONS

Noble Drama Tenacious in Sunshine Millions Classic

By BROCK SHERIDAN T hings were not looking great for Noble Drama after two furlongs in the mile-andone-eighth Sunshine Millions Classic for 4-year-olds and older at Gulfstream Park Jan. 18. After breaking slow from post one, Noble Drama had to be hustled up to be seventh and four lengths behind 4-1 third choice Salute With Honor and jockey Tyler Gaffalione as they were galloping along with a comfortable, one-length lead ahead of second-running Squeezadios. Although the David Fawkestrained Noble Drama had plenty of late-running credentials, Salute With Honor had just clicked-off the first quarter-mile in a convenient :23.85 that would further challenge his come-from behind style. Even when Noble Drama began to pass horses with authority around the far turn after Sqeezadios went a half-mile in :47.85 and with 8-5 favorite Red Crescent beginning his assault, jockey Emisael Jaramillo and Noble Drama were forced to run widest of all into the six path for their offensive. Past the eighth-pole, Noble Drama was in full flight on the outside and appeared to be moving best of all but Red Crescent fought back to keep a head in front while those two separated from the others. But Noble Drama, after all the adversity in the previous mile, elicited a bit more tenacity to win by a head over Red Crescent at the finish and get the winner’s share of the $200,000 Classic in a final time of 1:50.78. Sqeezadios was third followed in order by Salute With Honor, Super Dude, Tap the Mojo and Jay’s Way. “I rode him exactly like the last time. I knew there was a lot of speed, so we came from behind and ran at the end,” said Jaramillo, who had ridden Noble Drama to an optional claiming allowance victory off an eight-month layoff Dec. 22. Noble Drama is owned and was bred by Harold L. Queen of Ocala, Fla., who rested and trained him during an eighth-month lay-off before returning the 5-year-old gelding to Fawkes in December to win a second level optional claiming race at Gulfstream. “He ran huge. Harold did a wonderful job of getting this horse ready. When he sent him back to me, I literally led him over here and he won, and he ran a huge race,” Fawkes said. “He gained a bunch of weight on the farm, and the horse came back and ran huge. RYAN YHOMPSON PHOTO

“He just needed some time. He lost some weight when he was racing and he just needed some time,” he added. “He was a very sound horse, so it was for no other reason except to give him a little rehab. He deserves [sic] it.” It was the third Florida-bred stakes win for Noble Drama who won the $100,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes Silver Charm at Tampa Bay Downs in May of 2018 and the $150,000 FTBOA FSS at Gulfstream Sept. 28. During his career, Noble Drama has won five of 16 starts with earnings of $402,922.

Noble Drama is by Gone Astray out of Queen Drama, by Burning Roma. Queen Drama, who is a half-sister to Queen’s 2010 Eclipse Award-winning Sprinter Big Drama, also has produced two other winners by First Dude and Put It Back; Riveting Spirit, an unraced 2-year-old filly by Csaba and a yearling, Royal Attitude, also by Gone Astray.

Noble Drama was the 4.2-1 second choice in the Sunshine Millions Classic and returned $10.40 to win. in Sunshine Millions

STARSHIP JUBILEE CRUISES IN SUNSHINE MILLIONS F&M TURF

Blue Heaven Farm’s Starship Jubilee showed her Canadian Champion credentials while winning the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf with apparent ease for the second consecutive year.

Trained by Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee broke well from post seven, went to the front past the finish line for the first time and never Florida-bred Starship Jubilee easily wins the Filly & Mare Turf looked back in winning the mile-and-one-sixteenth grass event over seven other Florida-bred fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older. The 7- year-old daughter of Indy Wind led throughout while controlling the pace with pedestrian fractions of :25.63 for the quarter-mile and :50.77 for the half before finishing in 1:42.57 on the firm turf with jockey Javier Castellano.

Beautiful Lover was second with Vow to Recover, Sweet Hitch Hiker, Bienville Street, Raki, Admiral’s Win and Just Sassy completing the order of finish.

“When I saw that first quarter, :25 and change, they were kind of walking around there and that’s pretty easy for her,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “You’re just hoping that she’s tight enough and hasn’t lost much conditioning from the trip down south. Javier [Castellano], obviously, rode her well and knows her well. Great jockey. What can you say?

“It was easy. I don’t know why I’m sweating,” he said. “Maybe nerves? Nah. She’s a special filly. You look at the form and see she’s hooked up with the best horses in the world. When you win the E. P. Taylor (Grade 1), the horses come from different places. She always hooks up with the best horses. Today, nothing against the other horse and not taking anything away from the other horses, but I think on a class level, she’s much the best.” Claimed for $16,000 in February 2017, Starship Jubilee has since won the last two versions of the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine and this year’s Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at the Toronto oval among her 14 career wins from 32 starts. The 7-year-old mare out of Perfectly Wild, by Forest Wildcat was bred in Florida by William P. Sorren of Miami Beach,

COGLIANESE PHOTO

Fla., and has now earned $1,261,597 lifetime. Perfectly Wild has also produced stakesplaced runners The Flying Whizzer, by Spanish Steps, and Starship Nala, by Capo Bastone; and winners Perfect Barry, by Mr. Light (Arg); Starship Amanda, by Put It Back; Charleston Pier, by Circular Quay; Fallen Leaf, by A.P. Warrior; and an unraced filly by Soldat. She was bred to Malibu Moon in 2019. Starship Jubilee was the heavy 2-5 favorite in the Filly and Mare Turf and returned $2.80 to win.

“This is the best horse I’ve trained, a Grade 1 winner,” Attard said. “My first and only Grade 1 so far. To think where she’s come from and where she is today, it’s just been an unbelievable journey. I’m happy for the new connections who bought into her last year. She’s rewarded them really well. ”

MARCH TO THE ARCH PREVAILS RETURNS TO WIN CLOSE SUNSHINE MILLIONS TURF

Live Oak Plantation’s homebred March to the Arch returned to the races successfully after a five-month vacation as the 5-year-old gelding won the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf over eight other Florida-bred 4-year-olds and older at a mile-and-one-sixteenth on grass.

Having raced against graded-stakes company in six of his seven starts last year including wins in the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes at Churchill Downs in June and in the Touch Vodka Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs on Florida Cup Day on March 31, March to the Arch had to work for the victory in the Sunshine Millions Turf to win by a head over recent Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes-winner Muggsamatic.

Breaking a step slow from post nine in the Sunshine Millions Turf, March to the Arch and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were unfazed and able to maneuver into a comfortable spot midpack as longshot Max K.O. led into the clubhouse turn with Live Oak stablemate Souper Scat Daddy in second and Millions Turf Preview show finisher Second Mate in third. Max K.O. continued to show the way through a first quarter-mile in a very slow :25.06 and the half-mile in an equally stagnant in :50.17 as March to the Arch raced in fifth from about four-and-half lengths back.

Max K.O. and Souper Scat Daddy raced around the turn in tandem as March to the Arch crept closer with five-wide move and two lengths behind fellow 5-2 second choice Muggsamatic to his inside. As they straightened away for home, Muggsamatic shot to the front to take a length-and-a-half lead in deep stretch before March to the Arch suddenly burst on the scene from the outside with an impressive turn of foot.

Muggsamatic led until the final jump but March to the Arch hit the wire a head in front and those two were two lengths ahead of Galleon Mast in third. Favored Curlin’s Honor, Second Mate, Souper Scat Daddy, Scraps, Max K.O. and Jais’s Solitude completed the order of finish.

“I was concerned at all points in time,” said trainer Mark Casse, who also won the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds with Enforceable and the Gasparilla at Tampa Bay downs with Florida-bred Two Sixty that afternoon. “I was even concerned after the finish.” “He ran a hell of a race in the Shadwell,” Casse said. March to the Arch was fifth, but beaten only a length by winner Bowie’s Hero, in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 5, in the last race before his break. “Tyler came back and said, ‘I maybe should have won it.’ We flirted with the idea of running him in the Breeders’ Cup, but then we said if we’re not going to do that let’s stop now and aim for the Sunshine Millions to get him back going. It’s what we did with Got Stormy. We give those horses some time. We did it with World Approval. It’s not easy to run Jason [Servis] down; that was good.”

It was the sixth career win from 18 starts for March to the Arch who pushed his career

bankroll to $592,294. He is by Arch out of the graded-stakes-winning mare Daveron (Ger), by Black Sam Bellamy (Ire). Daveron has also produced graded-stakes-winner Global Access, by Giant’s Causeway; winning filly Honor and Blessing, by To Honor and Serve; unraced 3-year-old filly Pretty and Fast, by Tiznow; unraced 2-year-old colt Live Oaks Triumph, by Kitten’s Joy; and an unnamed yearling filly by Quality Road.

March to the Arch paid $7.40 to win. EXTRAVAGANT KID WINS SECOND STRAIGHT STAKES AT HOME

Florida-bred globetrotter Extravagant Kid, who has won stakes at Saratoga Race Course, Tampa Bay Downs, Churchill Downs, Colonial Downs and Gulfstream Park in the last 18 months, won his second consecutive stakes Saturday at Gulfstream by taking the $100,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint. The Sprint featured a field of eight Florida-bred 4-year-olds and older who went six furlongs on the main track.

After breaking from post one in the Sunshine Million Sprint, Extravagant Kid and jockey Tyler Gaffalione followed a length behind 7-5 favorite Lady’s Island who took them down the backstretch in a breakneck :22.01 quarter-mile clocking. Around the far turn, Gaffalione took Extravagant Kid two-wide to challenge Lady’s Island and those two raced past the quarter-pole stride-for-stride after a half-mile in a still very quick :44.41.

But the Brendan Walsh-trained Extravagant Kid was too much for his challenger down the stretch as he finished two-andthree-quarters lengths ahead of Lady’s Island in second with Jackson another half-length back in third. He Hate Me was fourth followed in order by Royal Squeeze, Richard the Great, Front Loaded and Running for Riz. The final time on the fast track was 1:10.04. “The race set up pretty much like we thought it would,” Gaffalione said. “[Lady’s Island] went to the lead and set nice fractions for us. I was able to ride off her flank. Coming into the stretch she stopped a little quicker than I thought she would. I was trying not to make the lead too early because he tends to wait around. But he had his mind on business today. All the credit goes to Brendan and the team.”

Extravagant Kid is a 7-year-old gelding by Kiss the Kid out of Pretty Extravagant, by With Distinction and was bred in Florida by Frank Vicino’s Vicino Racing Stable of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He now races for DARRS Inc.

Extravagant Kid was the first foal out Pretty Extravagant, who also has the winning 2-year-old Extravagant Rosie, by Treasure Beach (GB); and yearling colt by Itsmyluckyday named Uncle Pip and a weanling colt by Keen Ice. She was bred to Lemon Drop Kid in 2019 and will be bred to Bernardini in 2020 according to Vicino.

Extravagant Kid has now won 13 of 40 career races and the 7-year-old gelding has $787,354 in lifetime revenues. He paid $7 to win. ■ Florida-bred March to the Arch finishes first in a tight Sunshine Millions Turf LAUREN KING PHOTO Florida-bred Extravagant Kid takes the Sprint RYAN THOMPSON PHOTO