Two 1 1/2-mile stakes races on Florida Derby Day on the Gulfstream Park turf—the $200,000 Pan American Stakes (G2T) for older male runners and the $150,000 Orchid Stakes (G3T) for fillies and mares—have a French flavor.
Kertez and La Mehana , now trained in Florida by French-born Christophe Clement, raced in France last year, picking up group placings. They make their first starts in separate marathon turf races in the United States March 30, returning from layoffs that extend back to September.
Kertez, racing for Michael Dubb, Morris Morris, and West Point Thoroughbreds, is the first of the two in action, facing seven rivals in the Pan American, the sixth race Saturday.
A 6-year-old Intello gelding, he compiled a 5-4-5 record in 19 starts in France, making the equivalent of $231,656. A winner of a maiden race and four allowance races, he has also run second or third in six stakes in group 3 or group 2 company. He last raced Sept. 11, capturing an allowance at Saint Cloud at about 1 1/2 miles.
Joel Rosario rides Kertez, as he does La Mehana in the Orchid, the 10th race.
Clement also runs Peachtree Stable’s Tawny Port , a graded stakes winner and the recent Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) runner-up, in the Pan American under Irad Ortiz Jr.
💥#4 STARTING OVER ($24) closes down the outside to earn his first graded score in Gulfstream’s $200,000 G2 Mac Diarmida Stakes presented by Corniche!
The gray was ridden by Edward Zayas for trainer Mike Maker and Nice Guys Stables. pic.twitter.com/0oJOwzzNpY
— TVG (@TVG) March 2, 2024
The Pan American includes three Mike Maker trainees: Lucky Curlin and Street Ready —both owned by Michael Hui— and Nice Guys Stables’ Starting Over, who defeated Tawny Port by a neck in the March 2 Mac Diarmida at 1 3/8 miles on turf.
La Mehana Faces Top-Class Group in Orchid
LSU Stables’ La Mehana, one of numerous contenders in the Orchid, was most recently third Sept. 30 in the 1 3/4-mile Prix de Royallieu (G1T) at Longchamp. A 5-year-old daughter of Al Wukair , she is a five-time winner, including twice in stakes.
She faces a high-class field for a grade 3 contest that lured American graded stakes winners R Calli Kim , Surprisingly , and McKulick .
Stretching out to a turf marathon for the first time is Surprisingly, most recently a closing second in the Jan. 27 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and Repole Stable.
“She ran terrific to just miss in the Pegasus,” Pletcher said of her neck defeat to Didia . “She got jostled around at the start a little bit and was able to work out a good trip after that. She was closing resolutely but just couldn’t quite get there. She’s a very honest and solid filly.”
The 5-year-old daughter of Mastery is unraced beyond 1 1/8 miles.
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