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Lochte stars in Tropical Turf; Angelica Zapata, Daring Kathy highlight My Charmer

Lochte earned his biggest win to date in the GP Turf Handicap (Adam Coglianese Photography) Lochte figures to be well backed in the betting for Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park West, if for no other reason than the four-year-old gelding is one of two Grade 1 winners in the field. The son of Medaglia d'Oro sprung a 39-1 surprise in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on February 9 for trainer Marcus Vitali. He validated that result with a close-up second in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita and a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Makers 46 Mile at Keeneland in his next two starts. Lochte didn't fare nearly as well in four subsequent races at Monmouth, Belmont and Saratoga during the summer before returning to South Florida. "From the beginning, I've always had my ups and downs with him. He's had his share of problems, like any athlete. Now, we've got him well managed and he's been on the upswing," Vitali explained. "We're going to take it one race and a time and hopefully point him in the right direction." Of course, the ultimate goal for Lochte is a title defense in the Grade 1, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on February 7 on a turf course over which he has shown a distinct affinity. Although his fondness for the Gulfstream turf was reconfirmed with a late-charging victory in the The Vid Stakes upon his return to South Florida on September 13, Lochte still has to prove himself over the course at Gulfstream Park West, where he was beaten as the odds-on favorite in an open allowance race on October 18. The dark bay raced wide throughout that mile turf race before taking the lead in midstretch, only to be caught late by Dreams Cut Short, one of 13 (including four main-track-only horses) entered in Saturday's Tropical Turf.

"I just think the trip got him beat. I think it was unavoidable. It was just the way the race unfolded. It cost him the race," Vitali said. "He likes to get covered up and make one big run."

Orlando Bocachica, Vitali's go-to rider, has the return mount aboard Lochte, Saturday's 5-2 morning-line favorite who provided all of his connections with memorable moments last February.

"It was a very exciting day," Vitali noted. "That was my first Grade 1 and it was the first Grade 1 for Orlando, and I think it was the first Grade 1 for (owner) Crossed Sabres. It was a win-win-win."

Unbridled Command will attempt to recapture the Grade 1 form he flashed almost two years ago when he capped a five-race win streak with victory in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on November 15, 2012. The five-year-old son of Master Command was far from disgraced when he finished third behind Point of Entry and Animal Kingdom in the 2013 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, but after more than a year layoff he's gone winless in four starts on the West Coast this season.

The New York-bred veteran is scheduled to make his first start since finishing ninth in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on September 28 as well as his first start for trainer Marty Wolfson.

A look at the past performances of Rapscallion might lead one to think that trainer Graham Motion entered the Speightstown four-year-old for the Tropical Turf in the hopes that the 1 1/8-mile contest is moved to the main track. The bay gelding's last two victories have come in off-the-turf races at Keeneland, including a front-running second-level allowance victory by 4 1/2 lengths in his most recent start.

"I wasn't really thinking of that. I was more thinking that it was a good spot and the timing was good. It was a chance to see if he improved in general, or if it was a freak thing with the move to dirt, but I've always thought he was a better turf horse," Motion said. "He's coming off a nice win on the dirt at Keeneland, but we always thought he was more of a grass horse.

"We gelded him before his last start, and I'd like to think that helped him a little bit. He probably wasn't putting everything into it that we'd seen he was capable of in the morning, Motion said. "In the morning, he always breezed like a nice horse."

Angelica Zapata is seeking her first graded score in the My Charmer (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography) Two races following the Tropical Turf, Angelica Zapata will attempt to add a first graded victory to her 10 career stakes wins when facing 10 rivals, plus two main-track only entrants, in the Grade 3, $100,000 My Charmer Handicap. The six-year-old Sharp Humor mare just missed by a half-length while closing out 2013 in the My Charmer and opened her 2014 campaign with a third-placing in the Grade 3 Marshua's River on January 4 at Gulfstream Park, beaten a length by Naples Bay. "We came off the hedge and the horse that won it, Naples Bay, went right through the hole that we could have gone through," trainer Ron Pellegrini said. "Those were two Grade 3s where we thought after the races that we should have won both, but racing luck is a different story." Angelica Zapata was a distant fourth in the Grade 2 Sabin in February before getting a break, coming back to win the Nancy's Glitter and Soaring Softly overnight stakes in successive starts. Most recently, she was a troubled second by a half-length as the favorite in the September 27 Wasted Tears at Gulfstream Park.

"She had a horrible trip that day, but what can you do," Pellegrini shrugged. "We planned on running her in this race, so we've just been getting ready for it. I think she's coming into it great. I couldn't ask her for any more. I think she's going to run a big race.

Meet-leading rider Edgard Zayas will be aboard Angelica Zapata from post 4 at top weight of 119 pounds.

Also seeking her first graded win in the My Charmer is Daring Kathy, a three-year-old daughter of Wildcat Heir trained by David Fawkes. The bay miss will be trying older horses and 1 1/8 miles for the first time in her first start since a front-running 3 1/4-length victory in the Cellars Shiraz Stakes on October 18 at Gulfstream Park West.

Unraced as a juvenile, Daring Kathy is five-for-eight this year, with four wins and two thirds in six starts since being moved to the turf by Fawkes in March. She is unbeaten on the grass in her native Florida, including victories in the Honey Ryder and Starfish Bay this spring.

"Naturally you always wonder about the distance, but she's handled everything so far that we've given her," Fawkes said. "We thought, 'Let's try to stretch her out and see what happens.'

"If you look at her numbers, if she gets any break early at all she's very strong at the finish," he added. "She still finishes well even when she gets pressed. She still has that late kick. I'm sure this is a step forward, so you just have to hope that the race works out for her."

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