Stonehedge's Gil and Marilyn Campbell collected their 16th success in the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Florida Sire Stakes series July 31 when Cajun's Magic edged stablemate Dean Delivers in the $100,0000 Dr. Fager Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The Dr. Fager, a six-furlong open-division sprint, co-headlined Saturday's 13-race program with the $100,000 Desert Vixen Stakes,at the same distance for juvenile fillies and won by My Sassenach. The black-type events kicked off the 2021 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, a tradition-rich series for juveniles sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.
Cajun's Magic ($15) rallied from far off the pace to win a stretch duel with Dean Delivers by a neck to complete a Michael Yates-trained exacta in what turned out to be a two-horse race in the stretch.
"After they broke their maidens, Mrs. Campbell asked me which one I liked best. I said, 'Personally, at this point, I feel like we have the exacta. I don't know which one's the best,'" Yates recalled.
Cajun's Magic, who took command in the stretch after sitting fifth early, was all-out to hold off a resurgent Dean Delivers approaching the wire. The winner ran six furlongs in 1:11.01 under Jesus Rios.
Both Cajun's Magic and Dean Delivers are sons of Cajun Breeze , who stands at Stonehedge Farm South after being trained by Yates.
"It's pretty surreal. He's throwing some nice horses. I think the best is yet to come from him," the trainer said.
Cajun's Magic is out of the second winner from three foals out of the unraced Factum mare Mollie's Magic. This year, the mare foaled a St Patrick's Day filly, her only unraced produce.
Gold Special rallied to finish third, 10 lengths farther back.
Video: FTBOA Florida Sire Dr. Fager S. (BT)
My Sassenach Rolls in Desert Vixen
Champion Equine's My Sassenach didn't run as quickly in winning the Desert Vixen as Cajun's Magic did in the Dr. Fager—she was timed in 1:12.17 under Miguel Vasquez—but the 2-year-old filly Uncaptured filly proved much the best by an 8 1/4-length margin.
My Sassenach ($21), second in her July 1 debut, picked up her first win in the Desert Vixen, giving trainer David Braddy his fifth career success in the Florida Sire Stakes series for youngsters sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.
"I thought she was a real good filly the first time we ran her. We worked her nine days in front of the race, scoped her, and she was clean. We ran her in that race and she scoped with a lung infection," Braddy said. "I think that cost us the first race, but we've been high on her all along."
Demurely closed from off the pace to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind a tiring Rufa Red Knot. Noble Dreamer, the 7-5 favorite in a field of eight fillies, finished fourth.
My Sassenach was purchased for $152,000 by Champion Equine from the Craig Wheeler consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.
"We liked the way she breezed at the sale and we liked the way she galloped out," said Champion Equine's Michael Sucher. "We have a lot of high hopes for her."
She is the first winner for her dam, the winning Utopia mare Cynthia's Fury. The dam's other foals are a First Dude yearling filly and Bucchero colt foaled this year.
