2023 Sugar Swirl Stakes Contenders at Gulfstream Park

Multiple Stakes Winner My Destiny Making Final Start in 41st Sugar Swirl

Sam Wilensky’s multiple stakes winner My Destiny, after crisscrossing the country with stops in Kentucky, California, Oklahoma and Ohio, is back home for what is expected to be her last race in the Grade 3, $125,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes this Saturday, December 23 at Gulfstream Park.

The 41st running of the six-furlong Sugar Swirl for fillies and mares 3 and up is among four $125,000 stakes on an 11-race Christmas weekend program, joined by the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds and up, Tropical Park Derby for 3-year-olds and Tropical Park Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, both scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

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

Trained by Wilensky’s father, Herman, 6-year-old My Destiny will begin her new career as a broodmare in 2024, already booked to 2022 champion male sprinter Elite Power. She is enjoying her best season to date with four wins, two in stakes, from eight starts including a career-best performance to capture the six-furlong Flashy Lady Handicap by 5 ¼ lengths Sept. 24 at Remington Park.

The Sugar Swirl will be My Destiny’s 27th start and 11th at Gulfstream, but just her first since capturing a 6 ½-furlong optional claimer March 24 by three lengths as the favorite under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

“It feels like she never gets to race here,” Sam Wilensky said. “Unfortunately, there’s only so many stakes that are offered and she’s gone through all her conditions so it’s just kind of rare to have an opportunity at home, but this works out perfectly.

“This will probably be her last race and then she’s going to retire to be a broodmare,” he added. “There’s a small chance of one more race depending on how this race goes. If she hits the board first, second or third in the Grade 3, that’ll kind of complete the resume.”

Wilensky claimed My Destiny for $12,500 out of a Nov. 5, 2021 win at Gulfstream, and since then has registered seven wins, two seconds and two thirds from 16 Thoroughbred starts, as well as a 1,000-yard mixed breed race last August at Los Alamitos.

“You could never expect a [$12,500], non-winners of three life filly to do what she’s done,” he said. “She’s just a pleasure, not only because of what she’s done for us but her attitude and the way she carries herself. She’s by far my favorite horse we’ve ever had, so it’s going to be more than bittersweet to not see her here in the morning. But if you can get off the track safely and go have babies that hopefully we can train one day, we can’t ask for more.”

My Destiny enters the Sugar Swirl having run second as the favorite in the six-furlong Mahoning Valley Distaff Nov. 20, beaten a half-length after setting the pace. Her other stakes win came in the five-furlong Orleans Jan. 6 at Delta Downs.

“She’s a filly who brings it every time,” Wilensky said. “That was not her best performance up in Ohio but I think that was more about the surface. Those fillies went 1:12 that day; My Destiny goes 1:09 and change or 1:10 flat. Mahoning is a different type of racetrack. She’s happy to be home and going over this surface again. She’s doing phenomenal, so I couldn’t be happier about that.”

Edwin Gonzalez, a five-time winner on My Destiny up for each of her last two starts, gets the return call from Post 2 in a field of eight.

“It’ll be interesting to see who comes down and how they do on our home field for once,” Wilensky said. “We’re excited. Hopefully she can go out on the right note and it can be an end to a great career by her.”

Two-time defending Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. wheels Ed Seltzer’s 7-year-old homebred mare Bluefield back just two weeks off a determined neck victory in the seven-furlong FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

It was the eighth career victory and first in a stakes for Bluefield, who also captured the 6 ½-furlong Musical Romance overnight handicap May 28 over Gulfstream’s main track.

“She went up to Tampa and it was nice to get a stakes win on her resume at this age. She came to us late but she just keeps getting better and better,” Joseph said. “She’s never run back this quick, but she’s in good order so I think she should run well. Hopefully she has a good week leading up to it.”

Bluefield joined Joseph’s string last year after registering five wins and two thirds in her first 12 races, all but one coming in the Mid-Atlantic region. She went nine months between starts and has gone 3-3-1 in eight tries since, the only time worse than third coming when fourth behind stablemate Three Witches in the Oct. 7 Princess Rooney (G3). She was also second behind Grade 3-winning millionaire Yuugiri in the July 7 Saylorville at Prairie Meadows.

“She came to us with some good form and then she got some time off and that really helped her,” Joseph said. “She’s been very consistent ever since she came back.”

Edgard Zayas will be aboard from the rail.

Joseph will also send out 4-year-old Intrepid Daydream, a recent private purchase by Miller Racing that has put together four consecutive wins including the six-furlong Shine Again and Politely and seven-furlong Maryland Million Distaff, all at Laurel Park. She arrived at Gulfstream Monday.

“It all came about very late. The owner was looking for fillies to buy and he was able to close the deal [Dec. 15],” Joseph said. “She’s been running well up there against restricted company so hopefully she can come down here and run the same way.”

Tyler Gaffalione has the assignment from Post 4.

Also entered are Magna Massa, a last-out winner over older horses in a six-furlong allowance Nov. 9 at Horseshoe Indiana; Olivia Darling, runner-up in the six-furlong Skipat May 20 at Pimlico on the Preakness (G1) undercard; Headland, a 10-time winner of nearly $700,000 in purses from 43 lifetieme starts; Spirit Wind, winner of the Musical Romance and second in the Princess Rooney, then a Grade 2, last spring and summer at Gulfstream; and Napa Candy.

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