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Undefeated Florida-Bred Sum Of Success Features In FHBPA Express Tour
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- Undefeated Florida-Bred Sum Of Success Features In FHBPA Express Tour
Undefeated Florida-Bred Sum Of Success Features In FHBPA Express Tour
Though given an opportunity to take his talents on the road, K. Johnston Racing, Michael and Jules Iavarone and Hopeless Stables' undefeated Sum of Success will stay home and attempt to keep his perfect record intact in the $150,000 FHBPA Express Tour Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The Express Tour for Florida-bred 2-year-olds and $150,000 FHBPA Three Ring for Florida-bred 2-year-old fillies, each sprinting seven furlongs on the main track, kick off the Sunshine Meet stakes program as co-headliners on a 10-race program. Post time is 12:20 p.m.
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Sum of Success, a bay son of G1-winning sprinter Win Win Win bred by Oakleaf Farm in Ocala, Fla., was courted to run in the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) Sept. 6 at Saratoga despite not being nominated by trainer Bobby Dibona, who said he hasn't been tempted to deviate from his game plan.
Pending Saturday, Dibona is eyeing the $250,000 FHBPA Three Rules for Florida-bred 2-year-olds going a one-turn mile Oct. 3 at Gulfstream.
"I've got [this race] and [the Three Rules], and the timing's good. I'd like to wrap up the season with those two races, and I don't know if I'd run him again [this year]," Dibona said. "We're going to save the bigger stuff for down the road."
Sum of Success has yet to face open company, romping by 19 combined lengths in a five-furlong maiden special weight July 20 and the six-furlong FHBPA In Summation Aug. 10. The latter, by 11 ½ lengths, produced an 87 Beyer Speed Figure – the highest of any juvenile at Gulfstream and tied for the fifth-fastest in the country this year.
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"He's a classy, smart-minded, fast horse. He's got all the makings. You know how things go, you've got to pay attention and stay on top of things, but he's a fun horse. He enjoys what he's doing," Dibona said. "I just don't want to burn him up. I don't need to."
As good as Sum of Success has been on the dirt thus far, Dibona believes his rising star could be equal to the task on turf.
"He can be a little soft-footed at times, that's why I think this may be a turf horse. But right now he's doing so well," he said. "My plan has been the two Florida-bred races and maybe call it a 2-year-old season. If I did anything, it might give me a chance to test that turf [theory] one time in a race that won't mean that much to me and then call it quits [for the year]."
Regular rider Jonathan Ocasio gets the return call on Sum of Success from Post 3 in a field of six. They are rated the 1-2 morning line favorite and carry topweight of 124 pounds, two to four pounds more than his rivals.
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"We're ready to go," Dibona said. "He came out of the last race good. He's a good boy. He's growing and maturing and doing everything the right way right now. We certainly haven't gotten to the bottom of him yet."
Also coming into the Express Tour off wins are Godfidence and Stick Talk. Bred, owned and trained by Mary Lightner, Godfidence (Post 1, Rajiv Maragh, 12-1, 122), by Chance It, ran third behind subsequent Proud Man winner Watson in debut June 13 at Gulfstream, then came back to graduate in restricted company sprinting six furlongs July 24 at Colonial Downs.
Bell Racing's Stick Talk (Post 4, Samy Camacho, 7-2, 122) exits a popular and determined half-length maiden special weight victory against fellow Florida-breds sprinting 5 ½ furlongs Aug. 9. Prior to that, also at Gulfstream, he ran second twice facing open company going 4 ½ furlongs June 6 and six furlongs July 11, beaten a length.
"The horse is doing really good. He breezed [Monday] morning in 49 [seconds] in company and did it really comfortably," trainer Carlos David said. "In a perfect world, I would have rather knocked out the conditions, but I have to jump from winning a maiden to a stake, which is fine. It is what it is. We're going to try to win it."
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Stick Talk has shown versatility in his two races, coming from far back in debut and racing close to the pace in each of the last two starts, both as the favorite, though David will concede that role to Sum of Success.
"He's the horse to beat. Hopefully we get a good post on the outside. It's going to be [Stick Talk's] first race against winners so I guess we'll see what he's made of," he said. "At least it's a Florida-bred stake, so it's a little more restricted than running in an open stake. We'll see how it goes."
Red Diamond Stable's American Roadster (Post 6, Leonel Reyes, 4-1, 122) is the lone horse coming out of the In Summation to take on Sum of Success. The Joel Santiago trainee, a 2 ½-length winner of his July 3 debut, endured a tough tip where he raced in tight quarters and was shuffled back to trail all but one horse before finding room and winding up fourth.
Maidens Mister Morgs (Post 2, J.G. Torrealba, 20-1, 120) and Holy Warrior (Post 5, Diego Herrera, 4-1, 120) complete the field.
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In 2000, Express Tour became the fourth horse to sweep the Florida Stallion Series for Florida-bred 2-year-olds – the Dr. Fager, Affirmed and In Reality – before being purchased privately by Godolphin as a Triple Crown hopeful. He won the 2001 UAE Derby (G3) and was eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), capturing the Jerome (G2) two starts later for his final victory. He was retired with five wins and nearly $1.8 million in purse earnings from 15 starts.
Liberty Rings Right At Home In Saturday's Three Ring
A glance at Liberty Rings' record will leave no doubt that Theresa and David Palmer's 2-year-old filly is a most deserving morning-line favorite for Saturday's $150,000 Three Ring Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The daughter of Awesome Slew is not only the only two-race winner entered in the seven-furlong stakes for Florida-bred juvenile fillies, but the Nick Palmer-trained homebred is the only one in the field to win a stakes, and she's done that twice – once on turf and once on dirt.
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Liberty Rings, indeed, is a worthy 8-5 morning-line favorite for Three Ring, a main-track attraction that will co-headline a 10-race program with the $150,000 Express Tour, a seven-furlong stakes for Florida-bred juveniles, on the opening weekend of the Sunshine Meet.
"She's an impressive horse. I've been impressed with her the whole time I've had her," Palmer said. "She's handled everything we've thrown at her so well."
After falling short by a half-length of winning her April 19 debut at Gulfstream while closing late to finish third going 4 1/2 furlongs on dirt, Liberty Rings went right to the front and never looked back to win the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a May 9 stakes run at five furlongs over Gulfstream's turf course, to earn a fees-paid berth in one of six stakes during Great Britain's Royal Ascot meet in June.
After determining that Liberty Rings was not ready for such an adventure at such an early stage of her career, Palmer passed on the opportunity. He opted, instead, to ship his parents' homebred filly to Churchill Downs for the June 21 Debutante, a six-furlong turf stakes in which she finished off the board following a bad start and wide trip.
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Liberty Rings bounced right back to capture the Aug. 8 Scandalous Act, a six-furlong stakes for Florida-bred 2-year-old fillies over Gulfstream's main track, by three lengths.
"She didn't ship the best to Kentucky, and that was a learning experience for me. I'm really trying to keep her at home and keep her in the Florida-bred series," Palmer said. "She likes to be at home. We looked at some races at Kentucky Downs, but the best thing for her moving forward, as I try to stretch her out more, is to stay at home."
While Liberty Rings has demonstrated versatility at an early age, her trainer is confident her future will be on turf.
"Ultimately, I want to get her going two turns on the grass," Palmer said. "I think that's what she wants to do. A horse that came out of the race she won (Pros and Cons), the 'Win and You're In' for Royal Ascot, went up to Saratoga for trainer Mark Casse and won really impressively on the grass. I always wanted to try her again on the turf, but it's hard to find races once you've won as a 2-year-old."
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Miguel Vasquez has the return call on Liberty Rings, who drew the outside Post 6.
Averill Racing's R Island Jewel, who will seek to break her maiden in the Three Ring, is rated second at 2-1 on the morning line. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained daughter of Awesome Slew is coming off a strong debut in which she chased odds-on favored Rosie's Roadster before coming up just a neck short while finishing second in an Aug. 16 five-furlong maiden special weight.
Rasheed Hughes has the call on R Island Jewel.
Averill and Joseph will also be represented by R One Way, who is coming off a fifth-place finish on turf in her Aug. 16 debut.
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Nick Juarez has the mount on the daughter of Colonel Liam, who is priced at 10-1 on the morning line.
Vicente Stella Stables LLC's Mon Coquette will be on a quest to turn the tables on Liberty Rings after finishing second in the Scandalous Act. The Victor Barboza Jr.-trained daughter of Omaha Beach had previously scored a front-running 2 1/2-length triumph in a five-furlong maiden special weight.
Samy Camacho has the call on Mon Coquette, who is rated third at 5-2 on the morning line.
Arindel's Boots is priced at 6-1 on the morning line after finishing fourth in the Scandalous Act following a troubled start from her rail post position.
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Diego Herrera, who was the leading rider during the Royal Palm Meet that concluded Monday, has the call on the Nick Tomlinson-trained daughter of Brethren.
Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone's Blinkster, who is coming off an off-the-pace debut victory in a five-furlong $35,000 maiden claiming race on Tapeta last Saturday, is rated at 15-1 on the morning line. J.G. Torrealba has the return mount on the daughter of Leinster.
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
