Sound Machine Backtracks For Sheer Drama

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Third in the Princess Rooney (G2) last time out, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Sound Machine returns to action in Saturday’s $75,000 Sheer Drama Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The Sheer Drama, a 7-furlong sprint for Florida-bred fillies and mares, headlines a 12-race program that also features the $60,000 North Bay Village, a mile overnight handicap for fillies and mares on turf, on a program that will also be highlighted by a mandatory payout of the $0.20 Rainbow 6 jackpot pool.

The Sheer Drama has been carded as race 11 and has been included in Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence, which will span races 7-12.

In Gulfstream’s Princess Rooney, the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Sound Machine finished a head behind favored runner-up Estilo Talentoso in the 7-furlong Summit of Speed feature won by multiple Grade 1 winner Ce Ce by 3 1/2 lengths.

“I thought it was probably her best race to date,” Joseph said. ‘Her speed figures indicated it was also. After that, we gave her a little freshener. She’s had a steady set of works pointing for this race. We’ll take a little backtrack and hopefully we can win this and go on to another graded stakes.

Sound Machine had 2 prior graded-stakes placings to her credit, a second-place finish in the March 20 Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream and a third-place finish in the Miss Preakness (G3) at Pimlico in May 2020.

“Being by Into Mischief – she’s already a stakes winner – if we could win a graded stakes with her, it would make her much more valuable,” Joseph said. “I think she has a graded stakes in her. She’s getting better. Before, she had a very timid run, like a 1/2-furlong run in her. In the Princess Rooney, I think she showed a lot of grit.”

The 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief prepped for the Princess Rooney with a sharp 2 3/4-length victory in the May 29 Musical Romance Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for Florida-bred fillies and mares, at Gulfstream.

Edgard Zayas has the return call aboard the Florida-bred filly.

Windylea Farm LLC’s Thissmytime will seek to improve on a pair of subpar efforts that followed her runner-up finish in the January 23 Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream. The Kathleen O’Connell-trained 4-year-old filly returned from a 5-month layoff to finish eighth in the Princess Rooney before finishing fourth in the July 24 Monroe, in which she led into the stretch before faltering at 3-5 favoritism.

The daughter of Carpe Diem, who set a track record for 7 furlongs at Gulfstream Park West while winning the off-the-turf Millions Filly & Mare Turf Preview by nearly 12 lengths last November, will be ridden for the first time by Chantal Sutherland.

Arindel’s Sonar enters the Sheer Drama off a fourth-place finish in the Regret Stakes at Monmouth. The 4-year-old daughter of Brethren had previously won a May 22 optional claiming allowance for Florida-breds at Gulfstream after finishing second in an April 25 optional claiming allowance in which Sound Machine finished fourth after encountering a very troubled trip.

Starship Stables and trainer Steve Dwoskin are represented by Starship Bonita and Starship Nala in the eight-horse Sheer Drama field. Starship Bonita is winless in 9 starts since her victory in last year’s Sheer Drama. Starship Nala, who finished second behind Thissmytime in the Millions Filly and Mare Turf Preview, is winless in 4 starts this year.

My Purple Haze Stables LLC’s Heiressall, a multiple-stakes winner who finished fourth in a Colonial Downs stakes and seventh in the Princess Rooney in her last 2 starts; Ryzan Sun Racing LLC’s Bramble Berry, who captured an optional claiming allowance after finishing second behind Sound Machine in the Musical Romance; and Imaginary Stables’ Don’t Get Khozy, an optional claiming allowance winner last time out; round out the field.