Amerman Racing LLC’s Tumbarumba and Carrie Brogden, Michael Iavarone and Julia Iavarone’s Steal Sunshine will continue a heated Championship Meet rivalry in Saturday’s $150,000 Ghostzapper (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The Ghostzapper, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for older horses, will be one of five graded stakes on a 14-race program with 10 stakes, headlined by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa.
Tumbarumba, who defeated Steal Sunshine by a nose in the Jan. 27 Fred W. Hooper (G3), will make a bid to avenge a narrow loss to his archrival in the March 2 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).
Brian Lynch-trained Tumbarumba pressed a fast pace in the one-turn Gulfstream Park Mile before being nosed out of a victory by Steal Sunshine, who rallied from off the pace under Paco Lopez.
“I think it will be different going a little bit further. I think tactically it’s going to be an interesting race,” Lynch said.
Prior to his mile stakes appearances at Gulfstream, the 4-year-old gelding made back-to-back starts at 1 1/8 miles. He rallied to finish third in the Sept. 24 Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park, beaten by just a head, before finishing second in the Dec. 9 Louisiana Classic at Far Grounds, won by dominant Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar.
“I thought he ran well at Remington when he went two turns and I thought he ran against a really nice horse when he went two turns in the Louisiana Classic,” Lynch said. “I don’t think two turns is going to be an issue. I think this horse will stay on longer than a mile and a sixteenth.”
Tumbarumba has won five of 13 career starts with the largest margin of victory being three-quarters of a length.
“He’s just been a model of consistency. I always love a horse that will fight for you. He gets in those head-bobbing duels, and he’ll lie it down for you,” Lynch said.
Lynch trained Oscar Performance during a career that included four Grade 1 victories on turf – Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2016, Belmont Derby and Secretariat in 2017, and Woodbine Mile in 2018. Tumbarumba is one of several Oscar Performance offspring that have performed well for Lynch.
“I trained his father, and it’s great to see his progeny develop into what they’re developing into,” Lynch said. “He’s put a lot of nice horses in our barn. They’re very hardy horses and are up to a bit of work. They clean up their feed tubs. They have a pretty strong constitution to them.”
Jose Ortiz will ride Tumbarumba for the first time in the Ghostzapper.
Steal Sunshine has also distinguished himself as a horse that brings it just about every time. The late-closing 5-year-old son of Constitution closed from 11th and nearly 17 lengths back to finish third in the Hooper, three-quarters of a length behind Tumbarumba. He saved ground before making a wide sweep into the stretch to catch Tumbarumba just in time in the Gulfstream Park Mile.
Lopez has the return call on Steal Sunshine, who has finished second and third in three starts at the 1 1/16-mile distance.
Lure Him In is scheduled to make his first start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Saturday after being privately purchased by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Double B Racing Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch and Mach 1 Stables.
“We got him in super form. He’s an old class horse. In the dirt division, with so many horses in the Middle East, we thought it was a good opportunity to have a horse like this to run in these kind of races,” Joseph said. “We know he likes the track. He’s run some good numbers. There are a couple of decent horses in there, but we feel like on his best day he can show up and win.”
The 7-year-old gelded son of Khozan won the 1 1/16-mile Sunshine Classic Jan. 20 for his former connections.
“Tumbarumba and Steal Sunshine deserve to be the first and second favorites,” Joseph said. “Their best form has been around one turn, so we’re hoping they can regress a little bit and we can improve, hopefully, and get the job done.”
Edwin Gonzalez, who was aboard for the Sunshine Classic, has the return mount.
Donegal Racing’s Donegal Forever will concede considerable experience to his rivals while making his stakes debut in the Ghostzapper. The 4-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile is 2-for-2, having graduated at first asking last June at Belmont Park and winning a Feb. 18 optional claiming allowance at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream.
“He’s a horse that’s always shown a lot in the mornings and hasn’t really had the opportunity to run as far as he really wants to yet. I think the mile and a sixteenth is OK, but I believe he will improve at a mile and an eighth plus,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s trained well since the comeback, so we’ll take a step up in class and see how he does.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount aboard Donegal Forever.
Alex Andres LLC’s Il Miracolo, a Grade 1-placed graded-stakes winner trained by Antonio Sano, will return in the Ghostzapper following a third-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Mile, in which he was involved in a hotly contested early pace.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the call on Il Miracolo, who captured the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones (G3) at Parx last August before finishing third in the 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
Paola Stable and Vendaval Inc.’s Mbagnick, Arindel’s The Skipper Too, and Gelfenstein Farm LLC’s X Y Point round out the field.
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