The Diarmida – Grade II
$200.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward
1 3/8 Miles – InTurf
Gulfstream Park – February 28, 2026
Saturday saw a schism of track conditions at Gulfstream Park. While the runners on dirt were blessed with a fast track the grass runners were challenged with soft turf conditions. Kudos to the track maintenance team for getting that dirt course in shape once the rains ceased. Owners of the turf runners wished similar efforts could have been made to save the losses on the entry fees but there is only so much you can do. You can’t seal the turf. Anyway, Whipped and The Sidley Stud were likely very happy to see the soggy grass because once again Whipped took the opportunity to show how much he loves a wet turf course.
Winner: Whipped (The Sidley Stud/R. Bejarano) Zakouski/Windian (Cherokee Sunset) Sat comfortably towards the back of the back when they came through the stretch the first time. Moved up to mid park as the field separated around the clubhouse turn and then began to make his run with five furlongs left. Was all out to try to catch Hail Justice in the stretch and wore that one down in the final sixteenth.
Second: Hail Justice (Team 7 Illusions/J. NavMarin) Cherokee Devil/I Want Justice (I Want More) Started out on the Also Eligible list but made his way into the field after a wet track and four scratches put a pretty large dent in the field. Battled for the lead three wide through the stretch the first time but gained the advantage and led down the backstretch. Began to separate from the field and had a nice lead coming into the homestretch. It looked like he was going to steal the race and hold on but a determined Whipped collared him very late.
Third: Boss Spearman (John Henry/T. Gaffalione) Power/Blind Luck (Lil Pink Panther) Content to bide his time at the back of the pack and began to move around the final turn but had left himself with too much ground to make up despite a strong stretch run that found him catching King Z and taking the third spot.
Fourth: King Z (Mb Stables/J.R. Velasquez) Z Grayte One/Ete Queen (Charlemagne) Was one of the early leaders. Eventually allowed Hail Justice to move ahead and take a clear lead as the pacesetter. Never mounted a serious move or challenge to the winner and was passed late for third.
Preview Pick: King Z Fourth. The only pick this writer got right was that this course would come up wet and Hail Justice would make it into the field. Better prognostication required going forward.
The Diarmida win gives Whipped the second graded stakes win of his career and it gives The Sidley Stud four wins in this race. It was the first win in The Diarmida for jockey R. Bejarano. Whipped now has career earnings of $649.860 and it gives him a World Ranking of 107 which puts him tied for eighteenth on the Turf Route (Male) standings and sees him at number three in BC Points in the Turf category.
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES