After two unsuccessful tries on turf to open up his 3-year-old campaign, Starry Night Racing's Fulmine has relished the switch back to dirt, landing his first stakes win emphatically in the $107,500 Hutcheson Stakes March 14 at Gulfstream Park.
The complexion of the race changed when favored Arbiter, a speedy front-runner, was scratched, and then the race was further affected by the start of post-time favorite Diciassette, who stumbled at the break and was last early.
Breaking cleanly and alertly from the rail, Wootun went to the front and set fractions of :22.26 and :45.37. Fulmine, meanwhile, rated four wide in fourth down the backstretch before jockey Jose Morelos asked him for run on the turn. Set to task, Fulmine clicked past his rivals and hit the stretch on even terms with Wootun through 5 furlongs in :57.62. The front-runner battled with Fulmine while the latter hung on his left lead into the stretch. But once Fulmine switched leads, he pulled away from his rival, hitting the wire 2 3/4 lengths in front of Wootun with Diciassette rallying well to get up for third.
Fulmine ($9.80) covered the 6 furlongs in 1:10.82 on a fast main track. J. Kent Sweezey trains the Porta Pia Stables-bred son of Spun to Run, who earned his fourth win in eight career starts for earnings of $170,526.
Video: Hutcheson S. (BT)
Mythical Rebounds in Any Limit
Arindel homebred Mythical bounced back from just her second career loss last out to take the $122,500 Any Limit Stakes early on the Saturday card at Gulfstream.
Favored in the five-horse field of 3-year-old fillies, the daughter of St Patrick's Day broke on top under Edgard Zayas but was outkicked to the lead early by Sweet Ember, who led through an opening quarter in :22.31. Mythical ranged up on the outside to challenge Sweet Ember on the turn and took command, covering a half-mile in a swift :44.90. Sweet Ember gallantly tried to stay with her rival, but Mythical edged away in the stretch, hitting the wire 2 lengths in front.
Sweet Ember stayed on for second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of A Fine Chardonnay in third. Mythical ($4.40) covered the 6 furlongs in 1:09.40 on a fast main track, a stakes record and more than a second faster than Fulmine's Hutcheson time later on the card.
Trained by Jorge Delgado, Florida-bred Mythical pushed her record to 6-0-0 in eight starts for career earnings of $624,615.
Video: Any Limit S. (BT)
Twirling Queen Lands Captiva Island
Hernan Gomez's 5-year-old mare Twirling Queen did not mind the surface switch when the 5-furlong Captiva Island Stakes was taken off the turf, speeding to a front-running victory in the $100,000 event over Gulfstream's all-weather course.
With Luis Saez aboard, the daughter of Twirling Candy led the field through a quarter-mile in :21.03 with post-time favorite Moon Spun in second to her inside. As that rival began to drop back on the turn, Twirling Queen opened up through a half in :43.67. With a wall of horses in hot pursuit in the stretch, she held clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths over a rallying Me Governor in second and Coco Abarrio in third.
Twirling Queen ($38.20), trained by Jose D'Angelo, completed the 5 furlongs in :56.08.
