Boys at Tosconova makes it three straight in his seasonal bow

by Brisnet.com

Jay Em Ess Stables et al's Boys at Tosconova continued his comeback

in winning fashion on Friday when holding Groupie Doll by three parts of

a length in the

4TH race at Gulfstream Park.

It was the fourth race, and third straight win, registered by the

dark bay son of Officer after he was laid up for nearly a year with

ankle issues following a second-place run in the 2010 Breeders' Cup

Juvenile.

Boys at Tosconova returned with a third-place finish as the 1-2

favorite in an optional claimer at Belmont Park on October 8. He came

back to win a 6 1/2-furlong optional claiming test at Aqueduct on

November 11 and a one-mile optional claimer over the Gulfstream track on

December 23.

On Friday, the newly turned four-year-old pressed the early pace set

by Groupie Doll, a Grade 3-winning daughter of Bowman's Band, through

splits of :24 3/5, :47 1/5 and 1:10 4/5. The pair drew away from the

rest of the field while racing in tandem down the stretch, with Boys at

Tosconova inching away from his game rival.

Boys at Tosconova stopped the clock in 1:35 4/5 for a mile on the

fast dirt, paying $3.60, $2.20 and $2.10 as the 4-5 favorite with Javier

Castellano aboard. Groupie Doll was easily best of the rest as the 2-1

second choice, finishing 4 1/2 lengths in front of 48-1 longshot Flatter

This. It was just a head back to Our Dark Knight, with Imperial Czar and

El Kingdom completing the order under the wire.