Sheriff Bianco rolls to his first stakes victory at 14-1 in Saturday’s Say Florida Sandy at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

Sheriff Bianco returned on seven days’ rest and ended a 21-race losing skid with a victory through light snowflakes in Saturday’s $125,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes at Aqueduct.

The 7-year-old Speightster gelding came away with his first stakes victory in the 7-furlong Say Florida Sandy, upsetting his five rivals at 14-1 under Ruben Silvera. Owned by A Bianco Holding Limited and trained by Linda Rice, Sheriff Bianco finished third last Saturday in an open-company 7-furlong allowance-optional at Aqueduct.

“He loves 7 furlongs,” said of Sheriff Bianco, who improved to 1-2-1 in six starts at the distance. “It is a New York-bred, 7-furlong [stakes] and frankly, I’ve had the horse quite a while, and here and there it has looked like he’s tailed off at times.

“We’ve given him a few breaks and I ran him for a claiming price last time out. I was pretty happy with that performance, I thought it was an uptick in his performances, and because of that I said, ‘let’s give him a shot in the New York-bred stakes because seven-eighths is probably his sweet spot.’ ”

Sent off as the second longest shot on the board at 14-1, Sheriff Bianco raced fourth early as Mama’s Gold set the pace ahead of Shipsational and Doc Sullivan through the opening quarter-mile in :23.64.

Mama’s Gold continued to lead around the far turn with Shipsational ramping up the pressure approaching the half-mile split in :46.90. Mama’s Gold still led into the lane before Shipsational took over outside the eighth pole, past 6 furlongs in 1:11.80 under Eric Cancel.

Silvera kept Sheriff Bianco in the clear through the lane and the gelding rolled past Shipsational at the sixteenth pole. He widened his advantage from there, winning by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:24.94.

“I tried to follow the instructions and [Rice] told me, ‘stay behind the speed, comfortable,’ ” Silvera said. “I had a perfect trip and I come behind the speed waiting for the stretch. I tried switching the lead two times, but he never switched. I tried hard in the end and he won.”

Shipsational held second, three-quarters of a length in front of Doc Sullivan. Locke and Key, Mama’s Gold and Whittington Park completed the field.

Sheriff Bianco earned $68,750 for his first stakes victory and improved to 7-for-41 in his career with 23 placings and earnings of $811,863. Seven of those placings came in stakes, including a third three starts back in the Alex M. Robb and a runner-up effort in the 2023 Empire Classic Stakes on Empire Showcase Day.

Rice said Sheriff Bianco could return in the $125,000 Haynesfield for older New York-breds April 6 at Aqueduct.

“He’s good at one turn, whether it be 6 [furlongs] to a mile, it is really where he wants to be,” she said. “He’s even run well at a mile and an eighth at times. The seven-eighths is probably his best spot, but I would assume we will go to the Haynesfield next.”

Bred by SF Bloodstock LLC and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, Sheriff Bianco is the fourth foal out of the Perfect Soul mare Summer Rules. A half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Peace Rules, Summer Rules is also the dam of stakes winner Never Gone South, a four-time winner an earner of $244,135; and Sister’s Duty, an earner of $79,213.

Summer Rules is also the dam of Nelson Gate, an unraced 3-year-old gelding by Kitten’s Joy who sold for $30,000 to Christophe Clement, agent, at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale. Nelson Gate has turned in three breezes this winter at Payson Park Training Center, including a 3-furlong drill in :38.60 February 10.

SF Bloodstock also bred a colt by Quality Road out of Summer Rules that sold as a weanling for $375,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale. Summer Rules returned to Quality Road for the 2024 season.

Bernieandtherose wins third straight in Saturday’s East View at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Robert and Brad Rosenthal’s homebred Bernieandtherose extended her streak to three straight victories Saturday with her first stakes win in the $121,250 East View Stakes at Aqueduct.

Making her stakes debut in the 7-furlong stakes, Bernieandtherose broke on top and took an early lead as the field of five ran out of the chute. The daughter of Accelerate’s lead didn’t last long with race favorite Naive Melody flying to the front as Bernieandtherose settled on the rail in third through the opening quarter in :23.53.

Naive Melody wasn’t challenged down the backstretch, but Storm Changer changed that on the turn when she grabbed the lead halfway around the bend. Storm Charger looked to have it wrapped up in the stretch with Naive Melody fading and Bernieandtherose a few lengths behind.

Bernieandtherose targeted Storm Changer as they flashed past the furlong pole and closed the lead with every stride. Jockey Katie Davis put the whip away in the final sixteenth as Bernieandtherose collared the leader and pulled ahead. By the time they reached the line, Bernieandtherose had a half-length advantage with the clock stopping in 1:26.35. Storm Changer finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of third-placed Naive Melody.

“You know, it’s funny, she popped right out of there, but knowing the other horses going into the race like Wesley Ward’s [Naive Melody] and the other horse, they could go a :45, and I wasn’t looking to go a :45,” Davis said. “Yes, she broke on top, but I wasn’t trying to rush her off her feet, because I don’t want to be in that speed duel. So, I let them go, sat the pocket for the first time ever with her, she didn’t mind it, and I tipped her out and she came running home.”

Trained by Domenick Schettino, Bernieandtherose’s only loss came on debut when third by just half-length in October. She broke her maiden one start later by 7 3/4 lengths before ending the year with an easy 6 1/4-length victory in an Aqueduct allowance-optional.

The filly may jump on the Kentucky Oaks trail for her next start, though Schettino didn’t commit to that route after the race.

“I’ll have to speak Mr. Rosenthal about that and see which way we go, if we stick with the New York program coming up or the Busher,” he said. “First of all, we’ll see how she comes out of this race and go from there. I don’t think distance is an issue – I think she’ll go two turns. The mare [Berning Rose] won the Maid of the Mist going a mile and the sister won going long, so I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it either down the road.”

Bernieandtherose is the second stakes performer out of Freud’s New York-bred stakes winner Berning Rose, who was also bred by the Rosenthals. Berning Rose is the dam of three winners from three to race.

Berning Rose’s other runners include last year’s East View runner-up Bernietakecharge, who has three stakes placings to her name. That 4-year-old Take Charge Indy New York-bred won her own 2025 debut in an allowance-optional January 11 at Aqueduct.

Berning Rose is one of seven winners out of her own stakes-winning dam Peach Flambe, who is also the granddam of multiple New York-bred stakes placed Bernt Again.

Berning Rose foaled a New York-bred Always Dreaming filly in 2023 named Roseberns Dream and a Central Banker New York-bred colt last year.

The mare was part of Americanrevolution’s first book in 2024 with that stallion standing for $12,500 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson. He sired his first foal January 19.

Sand Devil fends off National Identity to stay unbeaten in Saturday’s Damon Runyon at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

By Paul Halloran

It wasn’t nearly as easy as his first two starts or the tote board indicated it would be, but Sand Devil dug in down the stretch Saturday at Aqueduct to take the Damon Runyon Stakes and remain undefeated.

The Chester and Mary Broman homebred outlasted a game National Identity to win the New York-bred stakes 3-year-olds by a neck, a margin trainer Linda Rice thought was closer than necessary.

“I thought he should have opened up in the middle of the turn,” Rice said of jockey Jose Lezcano. “They went slow down the backside and we were inside the other speed horse. It is what it is. I thought he should have opened up more. He gave the other horse too much of a chance.”

A son of Violence out of the Bromans’ homebred Mineshaft mare Mineralogist, Sand Devil didn’t have to work too hard to get to the lead in the 7-furlong stakes. National Identity broke first, but Lezcano came up the rail to take the advantage heading into the turn through a quarter-mile in :24.52 and a half in :48.58.

He maintained a three-quarter-length advantage around the turn, but never extended it, as Rice would have preferred. National Identity almost pulled even at the eighth pole and, after Sand Devil regained some breathing room, came running again but couldn’t catch the winner. The final time was 1:24.66.

“Today was the first time he had a tussle and he dug it out,” Rice said. “That other horse can run a little bit, but, like I said, they went slow early and sprinted home, and it was a strategic mistake for Jose to give that horse a chance to get head-and-head. He’d already had an advantage, and he should have used it, but we got to the winner’s circle and we move forward.”

Sand Devil, who doesn’t actually turn 3 until February 15, is the fifth foal out of Mineralogist, a multiple stakes winner out of the graded stakes-winning and New York-bred champion Seeking the Gold mare Seeking the Ante. Mineralogist’s most productive progeny to date is the Broman homebred Can You Diggit, a stakes winner by Tiznow who banked $436,555 in a 20-race career. Pretty Clever, a daughter of Hard Spun, earned $179,480.

“The other horse gave me a good run, but my horse is very nice,” Lezcano said. “Today, we go slow and the horses sprinted hard home. My horse is a big horse and he isn’t that quick when you ask him – it takes him a couple strides to get into full stride, so this is why the other horse come very close to him. He kept responding every stride I asked him to. My horse had the advantage today, but still my horse had (to put up a good performance) to win. Every race, he improves more and more.”

Sand Devil arrived in Rice’s barn at Saratoga in July after a few setbacks. She said that within a few months he started to show some talent, but she took her time with him. He broke his maiden December 8 and followed that with a 12 1/2-length allowance score January 2, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Rice considered running in the Withers Stakes February 1, but opted to keep the colt in state-bred company and sprinting for one more start. Open company awaits, however, with the Gotham Stakes March 1, a 50-point Kentucky Derby prep race, a definite possibility, according to Rice.

Spirit of St Louis joins elite company as the latest New York-bred Grade 1 winner and millionaire in Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Turf. Coglianese Photo/Ryan Thompson.

Chad Brown sent Spirit of St Louis to Kentucky last fall convinced the New York-bred gelding could not only fit in but potentially win a Grade 1.

That didn’t work out for the son Medaglia d’Oro, who endured a troubled trip and finished fifth behind his accomplished stablemate Carl Spackler and eventual Breeders’ Cup Mile winner More Than Looks in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland. Brown didn’t throw in the towel and gave Spirit of St Louis another try at the top level and this time came away with a victory in Saturday’s $984,000 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes presented by Qatar Racing at Gulfstream Park.

Under Tyler Gaffalione, Spirit of St Louis won the 9-furlong Pegasus Turf by a neck over Integration for Brown and owners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Richard Schermerhorn. He won in 1:44.45, just off the course record, passed the $1 million mark and became the 88th New York-bred Grade 1 winner to the delight of his connections.

“The horse had been training super,” Brown said. “I’m just fortunate the horse got in the race because without a lot of graded stuff next to him and no graded wins, he could have easily gotten excluded. I’m happy he was in the race and he fired. Tyler, just another brilliant ride.”

Pegged at 20-1 on the morning line against a field that included Grade 1 winners Nations Pride, Formidable Man and Win for the Money, Spirit of St Louis came into the Pegasus Turf off an almost three-month freshening following a victory in the Mohawk Stakes on Empire Showcase Day in late October at Aqueduct.

Horseplayers bet Spirit of St Louis down to just under 8-1 and the fifth choice in the field of 12.

Spirit of St Louis bumped 5-2 favorite Nations Pride at the start then settled into midpack under Gaffalione. Formidable Man, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, set the pace from his inside draw and clicked off strong early splits of :22.74 and :46.20 over the firm turf. Formidable Man still led by a half-length through 6 furlongs in 1:09.29 as the field started to bunch up around the far turn approaching the stretch.

“I loved where he was, but the fact that he found himself between horses down the backside, I’d rather either be on the rail or two deep,” Brown said. “Right in between two horses can get a little tight at times, so I was mildly concerned. I loved where he was in relation to the leader and the pace, but I didn’t know how he was going to track from there.”

Integration made his run at the quarter pole and took command in the lane, ahead of Win for the Money, Mi Hermano, Major Dude and a retreating Formidable Man.

Gaffalione kept Spirit of St Louis toward the center of the course through the lane, picked off rivals in the stretch and edged Integration at the finish. The winning time was just off Warm Heart’s victorious 1:44.45 in last year’s Pegasus World Cup Turf. Chasing Crown, the longest shot on the board at 64-1, finished 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

Gaffalione, second in the Championship Meet rider standings with 35 victories, loved his trip and was thankful to watch the competition throughout.

“I needed to keep an eye on them all around me, especially when William [Buick aboard Nations Pride] went up the fence and gave me a good target,” he said. “I just kind of waited for my spot and coming into the stretch I was able to work my way out and the horse did the rest.

“I’m so happy for the connections and thankful for the opportunity. It’s incredible. This is home for me and it’s good to see so many friendly faces and it’s good to be back in the winner’s circle.”

A full brother to New York-bred Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Bar of Gold, Spirit of St Louis improved to 10-for-14 with three seconds and picked up $498,000 to push his bankroll to $1,267,150. That total puts him just outside the top 40 all-time leading New York-bred earners.

Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Spirit of St Louis is also a half brother to stakes-placed New York-breds Land Mine and Homeland. Khancord Kid, a Grade 3 winner, has produced five winners. She’s also the dam of a 2-year-old full brother to Spirit of St Louis.

The Bromans bought Khancord Kid’s dam, Confidently, in 2000 for $1 million at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Out of Grade 1 winner Key Phrase, Confidently is a full sister to multiple stakes winner Yankee Gentleman with her dam a half-sister to the dam of champion Shared Belief.

Spirit of St Louis, a $300,000 purchase by BSW/Crow out of the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale, made his first two starts for owner Peter Brant and Brown. He won his debut on the dirt in mid-February 2023 before a second in a 9-furlong allowance on the dirt, both at Aqueduct. Dubb purchased Spirit of St Louis for $280,000 shortly after that effort, at the Keeneland April horses of racing age sale. He’s won nine of 12 since, including a run of five straight stakes from late 2023 to the summer of 2024.

Brown, who picked up his fifth Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding trainer Thursday, won his fourth race of the meet and was quick to credit his rider.

“Honestly, I haven’t had a good meet here,” Brown said. “Tyler’s ridden a bunch of them, and I don’t think I’ve had one bad trip. Tyler’s just been in the right spot at every pole in every race, at least for my horses that I’ve watched. Just phenomenal riding. He’s in career form. Just so happy for the partners that are here today. It’s just a great day here at Gulfstream.”