At the time Bullards Alley ran off the screen winning the Canadian International (G1) in mid-October, Run Time had just a maiden win in 12 starts to his credit. Nonetheless, recency entering Saturday’s $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream Park perhaps proved to be an equalizer as Run Time wore down the 6-5 favorite by a head to post the 10-1 upset under Tyler Gaffalione.
Owned by Bloom Racing Stable and Allen Racing, Run Time covered two miles on firm turf in 3:23.97 and paid $22.20 in his stakes debut. It was his second consecutive win at Gulfstream following an entry-level allowance score on December 6 over nine furlongs.
“I rode this horse at Kentucky Downs going one mile and a half the day he broke his maiden, so it was basically like the same thing as today,” said Gaffalione, who won aboard the son of Gio Ponti on September 6. “Just let him fall back and relax and make one big run. (Trainer) Mike (Maker) instructed me to just get him to relax, keep him happy and when it comes time, you know what to do.”
The Jerkens was the first of two stakes wins on the day for trainer Mike Maker, who said Run Time could target either the John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3) at Sam Houston or the W.L. McKnight H. (G3) at Gulfstream next. Both races are held the weekend of January 27-28.
Bullards Alley’s trainer Tim Glyshaw was philosophical about the loss as his stable star had not run since finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) on November 4.
“He ran well. At the end of the day it might have been too much to come off a short layoff and run two miles. That’s what cost him today,” Glyshaw said. “Mike’s horse was a little fresher. I have an opinion that if we run that race again after an out, he probably doesn’t catch us.”
In other stakes action at Gulfstream on Saturday:
Maker also enjoyed success in the $75,000 Via Borghese for fillies and mares when 13-1 chance Daring Duchess led wire to wire for a 1 1/2-length score over Martini Glass under Jose Ortiz. She covered 1 3/16 miles on the turf in 1:55.21 and paid $28.20.
Claimed a year ago in July for $35,000 by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the five-year-old by Arch had also captured the $65,000 Keertana at Churchill Downs on May 27.
Fans of baseball could have cashed a big ticket in the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby linking longshots Durocher and Mr Cub. Sent off at 18-1, Durocher edged his 21-1 rival by three parts of a length in a time of 1:42.11 under Paco Lopez. Durocher paid $39.40 to win, while the $2 Exacta returned $654.20.
Owned by Sterling Racing, John Herzberg, and Michelle Allan, Durocher was exiting a third-place effort in the Claiming Crown Emerald on December 2. A son of Niagara Causeway trained by Joe Russo, he was winning for the first time in stakes company.
Two divisions of the $75,000 Tropical Park Oaks were captured by Dream Awhile and Ghostly Presence. Dream Awhile, the 5-2 favorite in the first division, rallied to win by three parts of a length over a closing Westit in a time of 1:42.77 for 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Owned by Joe Allen and trained by Chad Brown, the daughter of War Front was making just her second start in the U.S. Multiple stakes-placed in France through five starts, Dream Awhile ($7.40) had run third against allowances foes at Aqueduct on November 9.
Ghostly Presence, under Rafael Hernandez, posted a one-length victory over Team of Teams in the second division, returning $10 and covering the course in 1:42.79. The daughter of Ghostzapper is a homebred racing for Chiefswood Stable and trained by Roger Attfield.
Ghostly Presence had raced exclusively at Woodbine in Canada prior to the Oaks. Highlights of her career north of the border were wins in the C$251,000 Princess Elizabeth last year and the C$125,000 Jammed Lovely on November 11, both on synthetic. She narrowly missed in the C$125,000 Carotene on grass two back.
