Captiva Island ($100.000 Purse)
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
March 11, 2023

Trippi Sprinkle may have a new owner, but that won’t stop her from attempting to win the Captiva Island for the third straight year. She is the headliner of this ungraded stake that runs at GP for the eighth time. This is a turf sprint that initially debuted for a $75.000 purse, and it would receive it’s increase to $100.000 in 2022. Gdp Inc has been a dominant trainer here, winning the stake four of the previous seven times, including the last two with Trippi Sprinkle. That will not continue here as he does not have an entry, so perhaps he will be rooting for his former horse to get the win for Mb Stables. Overall, we have seven going to post for the race. Let’s take a look at them!

#1- Trippi Sprinkle (Mb Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- In 2021, Trippi Sprinkle won the Captiva Island by two lengths with E Prado aboard, and last year was a one length victor with P Lopez in the saddle. She continued to be strong throughout the year, but would be sold in private sales to Mb Stables for $285.000. Since then, she has one win in three starts, which was an open allowance last month at FG. Overall, Trippi Sprinkle has known how to get to the winner’s circle, with 16 victories in 30 starts. While the opposition will be tough, it’s tough to pick a horse that has proven she knows how to get it done.

#2- Point Of Honor (High Voltage, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Since February of last year, this Lil Pink Panther filly has been strong, scoring five wins in eight starts. Most of those are in ungraded stakes similar to this one such as the $150 SSM F/M Turf Sprint and the $100.000 Wishing Well Stakes, both at SA. This is a horse that likes to get out on the lead to try and go wire to wire, and with the race being shorter than her last two, I would anticipate seeing a similar style here.

#3- The Great Enabler (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by J R Leparoux)- In October, Hawaiian Shirt Guy picked up this filly in private sales for $50.000 and has raced her four times, scoring a pair of wins and a pair of seconds. All but one of them came in overnights, but her last start was similar in nature to this one: grabbing $100.000 Ladies Turf Sprint right here last month. Further back in her career, you will see some graded experience and other ungraded races and she has generally been able to be near the front at the end.

#4- Tapioca Pudding (First Flight Stable, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- We haven’t seen this filly on the track in a while, as she last made a start in late September. She’s raced eight times and has only won once. In that span, she had a few ungraded stake attempts, but she never really seemed to live up to the potential that the trainer was hoping for. Now, with about six months of rest, we’ll see what kind of progress and improvement this four-year-old may have made.

#5- Misty Isles (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E J Zayas)- Claimed from Asgar back in 2021 for $35.000, but has made just six starts since then. She is similar to Tapioca Pudding in that she is coming here off a long layoff, hers being about five months. Had a stretch of two wins in three starts with TAM and FE allowance wins and other than a dud in the Bernardo Handicap afterwards, she wasn’t terrible, just not up to the Maxmillion standard. Perhaps the time off will help her.

#6- Happy Beat (Two Hearts One Love, ridden by E J Wilson)- The trainer picked this one up in private sales for $40.000 just three weeks ago and will make her debut in her new silks here. Prior to the sale, she had been running in races similar to this one and had a nice stretch of five wins in six starts between May and October last year. Following that, Happy Beat did not make former trainer Smokey Stover very happy at all with two subpar outings. Maybe Two Hearts One Love can get her turned around.

#7- Empirical (Avenue Z, ridden by C Sutherland)- This is a veteran seven-year-old that will be making her 31st career start here. She spent most of her career being a part of the mighty Spinetingling free track army, with considerable success in claimers at that level, and that’s where Avenue Z picked her up for $25.000. She was moved to the pay side, and to the turf for the first time, and she has been up to it with a knack for finishing third. Worked well at the beginning of the week and should be a contender here.

Prediction: 1-2-3-7

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded