Thursday, October 23, 2025
He has 993 entering Friday . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Journeyman Leonel Reyes, less than a decade after coming to the United States as an accomplished rider in his native Venezuela, is poised to reach another career milestone as he continues the quest for a second meet title at Gulfstream Park.

    Reyes, 39, enters Friday’s 10-race program with 993 career wins in North America, ranking fourth in the current Sunshine Meet standings with 18 wins and $692,495 in purse earnings, respectively trailing Miguel Vasquez (26) and Edgard Zayas ($882,270).

    His success is nothing new for the soft-spoken but quietly confident Reyes, a year-round presence at Gulfstream who was a two-time national champion in Venezuela and a nine-time meet titlist at National Racetrack Valencia before venturing to South Florida in 2016. “I won a lot of races in Venezuela, and it was a great experience,” Reyes said. “In my country it is different than riding here, but I am very grateful.”

    Represented by agent Jose Sanchez, Reyes had more than 1,400 wins to his credit when he arrived at Gulfstream, where he made his U. S. debut Feb. 21, 2016. It was a month later, on March 24, when he picked up his first win aboard Virgen Morena.

    What has followed has been career that has seen Reyes win 100 or more races every year since 2021, with a personal best 166 in 2022. With more than two months left in 2025, he has 96 wins from 736 mounts and earnings approaching $3.8 million.

    Reyes has won four graded stakes in the U.S., all at Gulfstream. The first came with Gladiator King in the 2019 Gr. III Hutcheson, followed by Cool Arrow in the 2020, Gr. III Smile Sprint, Three Witches in the 2023, Gr. III Princess Rooney and Little Vic in the Gr. III Fred Hooper Jan. 24.

    In 2023, Reyes won a career-high $5.99 million in purses and earned his only U.S. riding title, leading Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Meet standings with 93 wins, 18 more than runner-up Edwin Gonzalez, and a $2.89 million bankroll.

    The previous year Reyes ranked second to Vasquez at the Royal Palm Meet while simultaneously competing at Colonial Downs in Virginia, a rare instance away from Florida where he finished as runner-up to Mid-Atlantic-based Jevian Toledo for the riding title.

    “I have ridden in some other places, but Gulfstream is like my home,” Reyes said. “I love being here.”

    Reyes has three two-win days during the Sunshine Meet – opening day Sept. 5, Sept. 26 and Sept. 28 – and owns three stakes victories: Khozalite in the FSS Affirmed Oct. 18, Willow Case in the Hallandale Beach Sept. 26 and Private Thoughts in the Jet Propulsion overnight handicap Oct. 4.

    Overall Reyes has helped 11 different trainers at the meet reach the winner’s circle, including multiple trips for Jose D’Angelo (four), Ramon Minguet, Ron Spatz and Frank Regalbuto (two each). Others have come for Diane Morici, Ronald Coy, Rafael Romero, Lisa Lewis, Heather Smullen, Eddie Plesa Jr. and Fausto Gutierrez.

    His winners have ranged from favorites like 3-year-old Divine Papi ($2.80) on Oct. 3 to 2-year-old filly Make Your Wish ($65.80), giving Reyes an average win payoff of $12.87. He also has 14 seconds and 11 thirds, putting him in the money at a 41 percent clip.

    “It has been a lot of hard work every day, every morning. The races are tough but we keep trying,” he said. “I am thankful to my agent and all the owners and trainers and everybody that gives me the support.”

    Reyes has been able to enjoy his success with wife, Daniela, and daughters Leona (15), Donna (12) and Lea (4 ½) and plans to put in the work to make it continue long past 1,000 wins. “I am grateful for the moment because this career is dangerous,” he said. “I keep trying every day, every week, every year and now we are close. I will be proud to get 1,000 wins.”

Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Wins Gr. II Sands Point at Big A . . .

    Lindy Farms’ Ready for Candy (Twirling Candy-Enoree, by More Than Ready) earned her second graded stakes win and improved to 3-for-3 under the care of trainer Philip Antonacci when she prevailed in the Gr. II, $200,000 Sands Point at Aqueduct Racetrack to lead the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    Ready for Candy was moved to the Antonacci barn after seven starts with trainer Michael DePaulo last year, including three stakes placings at Woodbine Racetrack. The daughter of Twirling Candy came into the Sands Point off a last-out score in the one-mile, Gr. III Winter Memories.

    “She's a little tricky and you have to get along with her - she has her quirks,” Antonacci said. “But when it comes to the races, she's as professional as it comes and it allows the rider to do whatever he needs to do with her which makes her dangerous.”

    Bred in Ontario by Mark Dodson, Ready for Candy was purchased by Game Time Racing for $60,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Tom McCrocklin after breezing in :20 4/5.

    At Gulfstream Park, Half Hollow Stables and ProRacing Stable’s Khozalite (Khozan-Starship Crystal, by Congrats) was impressive returning to the dirt for his stakes debut with a four-length victory in the $200,000 Affirmed. Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Khozalite registered his second straight win following a two-length maiden triumph going a two-turn mile on the Gulfstream turf in his second career start.

    The son of Khozan was purchased by his owners for $55,000 at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Journeyman Bloodstock Services after breezing in :21 2/5.

    At Aqueduct, Case Chambers, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s graded stakes-placed Out On Bail (Tiz the Law–Judge Lee, by Street Cry (IRE)) returned to the winner’s circle with a nose victory in Sunday’s $150,000 Carle Place.

    Trained by Mike Maker, Out On Bail notched his first win since taking the Skidmore last year at Saratoga Race Course as part of a six-start campaign that saw him hit the board in each outing. Out On Bail was purchased by Chambers for $110,000 out of the Kings Equine consignment at the 2024 OBS March Sale after breezing in :10 1/5.

    At Santa Anita, Himika (Curlin-Motivated Seller, by Into Mischief) returned to sprinting and delivered as the 1-2 favorite to earn her second stakes win in the $85,000 Anoakia Stakes over fellow OBS grad Revera. Trained by Bob Baffert, Himika was purchased for $900,000 by owner Baoma Corp at this year’s OBS April Sale from the de Meric Sales consignment after breezing in :9 4/5. In August at Del Mar, she earned her first stakes win when annexing the Gr. III Sorrento going six furlon
gs.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Arindel filly wins by nearly 13 lengths . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Graded stakes-winner Mythical made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park Saturday with a dominating 12 ¾-length victory in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl in second-leg action of the 2025 Florida Sire Stakes series for juveniles sired by accredited Florida stallions.

    The Susan’s Girl, a seven-furlong test for fillies, co-headlined Saturday’s 12-race program with the $200,000 Affirmed, the seven-furlong second leg for the FSS open division.

    Arindel’s Mythical had scored an 8 ½-length debut victory at Gulfstream Park on April 17 before going on to beat the boys in the 5 ½-furlong Tremont by 3 ½ lengths, and earning graded stakes credentials in the 6 ½-furlong, Gr.III Adirondack by 3 ¼ lengths at Saratoga. Coming off her first career loss in the seven-furlong, Gr. I Spinster, in which she set a fast pressured pace before fading to fifth at Saratoga, Mythical asserted herself as the 2-5 favorite against 10 other Florida-sired fillies Saturday with a thoroughly professional performance.

    “She has run some pretty big races. Last race was a little disappointing, getting hemmed in on the inside. We were pretty confident that she’d get the distance,” Arindel President Brian Cohen said. “The way she broke and settled, I thought she’s either winning by 15 or losing by 15. When she started making her move, I was pretty confident.”

    “This was the plan in previous races but, unfortunately, we had the inside post, and we had to go to the lead. Today was different. She was on the outside, and she was able to follow the filly in front. She relaxed very nice,” said Jaramillo, who has been aboard Mythical for all four starts. “The plan was very clear, and I knew when I was sitting third behind the speed, I would win the race.”

    Mythical completed the seven furlongs in a stakes-record 1:22.95 to win the 43rd running of the Susan’s Girl, eclipsing Princess Secret’s 2020 clocking of 1:23.02.

    “It was kind of our expectations. Last time we were pushing it in the Grade 1, thinking we were going to win. But we had a lot of pressure, and it was a different class,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “I think it was the right move for her after a strong summer to come here and find herself again.”

    The Florida Sire Stakes final for fillies, the $300,000 My Dear Girl, will be contested at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream on Nov. 29.

    “I think we’re going to go there,” Delgado said. “Against this competition, we’re going to try [two turns]. The ways she’s training and the way she’s feeling here in Florida, I think it’s a no-brainer for her.”

        
Monday, October 20, 2025
Squire 4 lengths back in 2nd . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - For a horse whose trainer feels could be even better on the grass, Half Hollow Stables and ProRacing Stable’s Khozalite was impressive returning to the dirt for his stakes debut with a popular and professional four-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed at Gulfstream Park.

    The seven-furlong Affirmed was the last of three stakes worth $470,000 in purses on a 12-race program co-headlined by Mythical’s popular romp in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl for fillies, each part of the $1.2 million Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds by accredited Florida stallions.

    Named for Lou and Patrice Wolfson's Florida-bred 1978 Triple Crown winner who was a five-time champion, back-to-back Horse of the Year and 1980 Hall of Fame inductee, the Affirmed is the middle leg of the FSS series, following the $100,000 Dr. Fager. The series concludes with the $300,000 In Reality Nov. 29.

    Ridden by Leonel Reyes for trainer Jose D’Angelo, Khozalite ($9.20) covered a fast main track in 1:23.30 to register his second straight win following a two-length maiden triumph going a two-turn mile on the Gulfstream turf Aug. 30 in his second career start.

    “I think he’s going to be better on turf. The key with him is the distance. The longer he goes, the better it is for him. That’s why I ran him on the grass, because the two turns is what he needs,” D’Angelo said. “Khozalite is the kind of horse that just needs distance. That’s why I take the shot back on the dirt. He was ready today. I’m very happy with him. He had a nice gallop-out. I’m proud of him and his race.”

    One of three last-out maiden winners in the field of 11 along with Khozalite and D’Angelo-trained stablemate Micanopy, Wootun broke alertly and went straight to the front, leading through an opening quarter in :22.65 seconds with Khozalite pressing to his outside in second. Strategic Risk, a Gulfstream debut winner in June who was exiting back-to-back graded-stakes efforts at Saratoga, saved ground inside in third with Hawk in the clear in fourth.

    The half-mile went in :45.38 when Wootun began to tire and Khozalite eagerly inherited the top spot rounding the far turn with Strategic Risk poised to strike on the far outside in third. Khozalite began to gain separation once straightened for home and had plenty left to turn back a late run from Squire, a Leinster colt who edged Strategic Risk by three-quarters of a length for second.

    “I knew both my horses were well-prepared. I know they were going to run from the start if everything goes good,” D’Angelo said. “When I saw him third and second and making his move turning for home, I knew he was going to be there.”

    Hawk finished fourth, followed by Trelawny, All to Win, I’m Tuff Enough, He’s My Uncle, Micanopy, Wootun and Dr. Fager runner-up Camigol.

    Reyes has been aboard for each of Khozalite’s races including a dead heat for second in a six-furlong dirt maiden special weight against Florida-breds Aug. 2, and has also been up for D’Angelo in morning works.

    “The trip was perfect. His outside post position was good. I tried to go behind the speed. When I asked him at the quarter pole he responded very well,” Reyes said. “After his last work, I was very confident in him because he felt really, really good and ready for the race.”

    D’Angelo said the plan is for Khozalite to target the 1 1/16-mile In Reality on opening weekend of Gulfstream’s 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

 

            “Yes, 100 percent,” he said. “He ran good two turns on the grass so he should be fine there.”

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Captures Ontario Damsel at Woodbine . . .
    Three-year-old filly Shotgun Wedding scored the initial stakes win of her career, winning the Ontario Damsel S. at Woodbine on Saturday. Owned by Windways Farm, Begg Racing, and Upland Flats Racing and trained by James Begg, Shotgun Wedding rated in fifth position early under a snug hold. She moved closer to the leaders at the three-furlong pole, vied between horses with a quarter mile to go, and surged clear late to win by three-quarters of a length. She covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.23 and is now a winner in 3-of-12 starts with earnings of $185,066.

    The chestnut filly by Mendelssohn is out of the winning Speightstown mare Reluctant Bride. She sold to Begg for $50,000 out of the Parrish Farms consignment at the 2024 OBS March Sale (Hip 592) after breezing an eighth in :10 1/5 at the under tack preview. Shotgun Wedding was bred in Kentucky by Deron Pearson and Patrick Biacone LLC.

    OBS graduate Dazzling Dame recorded the second stakes win of her career taking down top prize in Saturday’s $100,000 White Clay Creek Stakes at Delaware Park. Ridden by Kevin Gomez, Dazzling Dame broke alertly in the one-mile fixture and stalked the early pace. She ranged up to put a head in front passing the five-sixteenths marker and then bravely outdueled Jumping the Gun through the stretch to post a 1 ½-length victory. Owned by Respect the Valleys LLC and trained by Brittany Russell, Dazzling Dame is now a winner in 3-of-4 lifetime starts. The 2-year-old filly broke her maiden in her career debut at Laurel in June and returned to win the Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park by two lengths in August. The $60,000 winner’s share of the White Clay Creek Stakes purse lifted her bankroll to $158,025.

    Bred in Maryland by Maria Haire, Dazzling Dame, who is by Girvin out of the multiple stakes-placed Corinthian mare Awesome Dama, is a two-time OBS graduate. The bay filly was a $65,000 graduate of the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale (Hip 659) where she was acquired by Tahoe Bloodstock out of the Hare Hill Farm consignment. She changed hands again at this year’s OBS March Sale (Hip 762), selling to her owner for $45,000 after breezing a quarter at the under tack preview in :21 for consignor Richardson Bloodstock.

    Also on Saturday, OBS graduate Stonevicious swept to a 2 ¾-length win in the Don Getty Handicap at Century Downs. Stonevicious vied for the lead early in the 1 1/8-mile test. He gained the upper hand approaching the far turn and pulled away through the stretch to win comfortably.

    Owned by Mitch Sutherland and trained by James Brown, Stonevicious is a gray or roan gelding by Connect out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Diva Style. The hard-knocking 6-year-old has now hit the board in 22-of43 lifetime starts for earnings of $254,732. Stonevicious was a $15,000 purchase by RSR Racing Service/Robert Rhoads out of the Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne) consignment at the 2021 OBS June Sale (Hip 263) after breezing a quarter in : 21 3/5 at the breeze show. He was bred in Kentucky by JSM Equine LLC.

    In one of the most impressive maiden special weight wins in memory, Spendthrift Farm’s OBS graduate Further Ado, a 2-year-old son of Gun Runner, turned heads with a brilliant victory at Keeneland on Friday, Oct. 10.

    With two sprint starts under his belt, Further Ado relished the 1 1/16-mile distance he found in his two-turn debut for trainer Brad Cox. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado pressed the early pace before taking command around the far turn. He drew clear effortlessly in the lane—bidding his foes adieu—to win by a stunning 20 lengths. He stopped the clock in a rapid 1:43.52, earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. His final time was faster than Ted Noffey’s clocking in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) on Oct. 4.

    “We were scratching our heads after his first two starts,” Blake Cox, assistant to his father, said to Keeneland Publicity. “He had been working too well, and he was working with older horses and putting them away.”

    Cox indicated that Further Ado would target the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 24 or an allowance race around that time.

    Further Ado was a $550,000 acquisition by Spendthrift Farm at this year’s OBS April Sale (Hip 424) Consigned by Six K’s Training & Sales and bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, Further Ado breezed a quarter in :21 1/5 at the under tack preview. Out of the graded stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Sky Dreamer, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Dream Dancing and graded stakes-placed Dream Maker and a full sister to graded stakes-placed Awesome Sky, Further Ado is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes winner Kimbe