Coglianese Photos/Kenny Martin
When the announcement came that entries for Gulfstream’s Sunshine Millions were opened up to horses bred in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland as well as Florida, trainer Phil Serpe immediately thought that the $100,000 Sprint Stakes at six furlongs would be just right for Red and Black Stable’s Weekend Hideaway. The 5-year-old son of Speightstown obliged on Saturday with a resounding four-length stalker’s victory under Javier Castellano.
Breaking sharply from his outside post as the 5-1 third choice, Weekend Hideaway immediately set up shop at the flank of speedy pacesetter and 4-5 favorite Happy My Way, the who broke on top from the rail.
After stalking the leader through an opening quarter mile in 22.76 and a half in 44.96, Weekend Hideaway began his winning bid at the top of the stretch. He took command with a furlong to go and drew off to a no-doubt-about-it four-length victory in a final time of 1:08.64. Grand Shores got up for second, leaving pacesetter Happy My Way to pick up the show [VIDEO].
Castellano said, “The way I handicapped the race, Happy My Way had the speed and the one-hole, so he had to go. I sat right off the pace, and it worked out great. I think the outside post gave me a big plus to win the race.”
Added Castellano, “The way [Weekend Hideaway] did it in the last part, he was very comfortable. I know they went really fast on the pace and it paid off in the last part of the race.”
Coglianese Photos
Trainer Phil Serpe explained that as soon as he heard about the expanded entries for the Millions, it seemed like the right move: “At that point, it was kind of a no-brainer. We were actually looking for a spot for him. It all worked out well for us.” Serpe also pointed out, “He’s really been touting himself down here. His [four] works [at Gulfstream] were excellent and we really thought he’d run well.”
Weekend Hideaway is now a five-time stakes winner with a career record of seven wins, three seconds and three thirds from 20 starts. His victory in the Sunshine Millions Sprint pushes his earnings over the half-million dollar mark to $507,332
Winner of the David Stakes and Bertram F. Bongard as a juvenile, as well as finishing third in the Grade 2 Futurity, the following year Weekend Hideaway posted a frontrunning victory in the open Gone Fishin overnight stakes at Belmont. He collected his fourth stakes victory at the Spa last summer with a wire-to-wire tally in the John Morrissey
Bred by the late Carl Lizza’s Flying Zee Stables, for whom Serpe was a long-time trainer, and foaled at Highcliff Farm in Delanson, Weekend Hideaway is the first foal and only starter out of New York-bred Apocalyptical, an unplaced New York-bred daughter of Wiseman’s Ferry. Weekend Hideaway was purchased by Michael Hoffman’s Red and Black Stable for $40,000 in the yearling portion of the Flying Zee Dispersal in October 2011.
