2022 Mac Diarmida Field & Odds at Gulfstream Park

Though the wins haven’t come as frequently as recent winters during the Championship Meet, trainer Mike Maker will be chasing a bit of local history when he sends out the quintet of Glynn County, Kygo, Media Blitz, Temple and Tide of the Sea in Saturday’s $200,000 Mac Diarmida (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The 27th running of the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida for older turf horses is part of a blockbuster 13-race program offering nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.7 million in purses including the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2.

First race post time is 12:10 p.m.

Honoring the Florida-bred multiple Grade 1 winner and 1978 Eclipse Award honoree as champion grass horse, the Mac Diarmida debuted in 1995 and was first graded in 1997. It is the richest of six turf stakes on the Fountain of Youth undercard that also includes the $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3), $150,000 Honey Fox (G3), $150,000 The Very One (G3), $125,000 Herecomesthebride (G3) and $125,000 Palm Beach.

No trainer has won the Mac Diarmida more than twice, with Maker joining Hall of Famer Bill Mott (1999, 2013), Mary Hartmann (2009-10) and Tom Albertrani (2014, 2018) following back-to-back scores with Zulu Alpha in 2019 and 2020. Maker ran second and fourth, respectively, with Tide of the Sea and Temple in 2021.

“We’ve kind of gotten hurt with not as much turf racing as we’re used to,” Maker said. He has 12 wins through 62 days at the meet after averaging more than 40 over the past two years, but ranks third with nearly $1 million in purse earnings. “Hopefully, we will be the first [to win three times]. That’d be great.”

Three Diamonds Farm owns both Tide of the Sea and Glynn County. Tide of the Sea, a 6-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, went off the narrow favorite in last year’s Mac Diarmida, pressing eventual winner Phantom Currency throughout and getting within a head at the top of the stretch before settling for second, beaten less than a length. He captured the W.L. McKnight (G3) at Gulfstream in his prior start wearing blinkers, which will go back on for the Mac Diarmida.

“Tide of the Sea ran a solid race last year, he was just second-best on the day,” Maker said. “We’ve had some eye issues with him, so we think [the blinkers] will improve his performance. He’s been a great horse for us. He doesn’t need to take his track with him. He’s won a stake, he’s won at Laurel [Park, and] he’s competitive on the soft going.”

Rafael Hernandez rides Tide of the Sea from Post 4 in a field of 11.

Glynn County made up some ground along the inside to move into second, three lengths behind eventual winner Abaan, in the 1 ½-mile McKnight Jan. 29 but flattened out and finished fifth in his first race in three months. Last summer, the 5-year-old son of turf champion Kitten’s Joy ran third in both the Mr. D (G1) at Arlington and Turf Cup (G2) at Kentucky Downs.

“Glynn County hadn’t run in a while, so he needed that race. He’s done well since and I expect him to be one of my better chances,” Maker said. “He needs a firmer ground; that’s his best go.”

Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Glynn County from Post 3.

Claimed away for $80,000 last summer at Belmont Park, Temple was taken back by Maker for the same price on behalf of Paradise Farms Corp. in November at Aqueduct. The 6-year-old gelding ran second in a third-level allowance in November prior to the McKnight, where he found himself well back early before coming with a strong late run to be second, beaten two lengths.

Less than a length behind Temple was Michael Hui, Hooties Racing and WSS Racing’s Media Blitz, who raced third throughout with an inside trip. Media Blitz ran a troubled 10th in the Dec. 18 Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream, the 5-year-old gelding’s first race since being claimed for $100,000 out of a third on the Del Mar turf last November.

“I thought Temple would be forwardly placed last time, but he got left at the gate and then made a nice late run to make up a lot of ground,” Maker said. “Media Blitz ran a nice third in that race. He ran kind of even, but he’s doing well and we expect another big effort.”

Jose Ortiz gets the assignment on Temple from Post 8, while Media Blitz will break from Post 9 with recently minted Eclipse Award winner Joel Rosario up.

Michael Dubb and Madaket Stables’ Kygo was bred in Germany and won two of his first eight starts between there and France before coming to the U.S. His wins came at 1 ¼ and 1 ½ miles overseas, and he has finished fifth in each of his domestic starts, both going 1 1/16 miles, most recently a Jan. 22 allowance at Tampa Bay Downs.

Paco Lopez has the call on Kygo from Post 2.

Looking for his first Mac Diarmida win is Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who entered the trio of Abaan, Gloucestershire and Shamrocket. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Alex Daigneault’s Abaan extended his win streak to three races in the McKnight, following front-running triumphs in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Dec. 24 at Gulfstream and a 1 3/8-mile allowance in mid-November at Aqueduct.

Team Valor International’s Gloucestershire won one of three starts in England before finishing third in his U.S. debut last fall at Aqueduct at the Mac Diarmida distance. He rallied for a half-length allowance triumph going 1 ½ miles over the all-weather Tapeta Jan. 16 at Gulfstream in a race originally carded for the turf.

Donegal Racing’s Shamrocket won the 1 ½-mile Point of Entry on the Belmont Park turf last October and raced twice this year in a span of seven days. The Florida-bred son of Tonalist won the Sunshine Classic on the dirt Jan. 15 then ran third in the Sunshine Turf, also at 1 1/8 miles but rained off the grass to the Tapeta.

Pletcher has enlisted the services of meet-leading rider Luis Saez (Abaan, Post 1), defending champion Irad Ortiz Jr. (Gloucestershire, Post 11) and Hall of Famer Javier Castellano (Shamrocket, Post 10) for the Mac Diarmida.

David Bernsen, Jeffrey Lambert and Robert Fetkin’s Lure Him In made a triumphant return to South Florida in the Sunshine Turf, stalking the pace set by Sigiloso before taking over at the top of the stretch and pulling clear to a 2 ½-length victory. It was the fifth win from 10 career starts at Gulfstream for Lure Him In, third in the 1 ½-mile Tokyo City (G3) last April at Santa Anita.

“He’s Florida-bred so we always have that as a backup, but we also like him at these longer distances so we’re going to give it a whirl. He’s doing better even than he went into the last one,” trainer Bob Hess Jr. said. “He’s ready to go, and we’re looking forward to a fun afternoon against a deep and competitive field.”

Junior Alvarado gets the return call from Post 5.

Completing the Mac Diarmida field are Argentina-bred Fantasioso, last out winner of the John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3) Jan. 30 at Sam Houston for trainer and co-owner Ignacio Correas IV; and WellSpring Stables’ Ontario-bred Safe Conduct, favored winner of the Queen’s Plate over Woodbine’s synthetic surface last summer and most recently third to Never Surprised in the Dec. 26 Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream.

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