HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Thumbs Up Racing’s Sleepy Eyes Todd held sway in the late stages to clinch Saturday’s $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Sleepy Eyes Todd broke from post 8 under Tyler Gaffalione as the 5/1 third choice and settled into a mid-pack position amidst a swarm of rivals.
Wind of Change surged to a lengthy early lead while posting opening fractions of :22.07 and :44.35 while Cool Arrow gave closest watch.
Making his move in the far turn, Sleepy Eyes Todd took aim at the pacesetter at the top of the stretch and worked his way up to take the lead at the 1/16 pole.
Digging in gamely to fend off the 5/2 favorite Firenze Fire in the late stages, the Miguel Silva trainee crossed a 1/2-length the best, completing the 7-furlong fast dirt sprint in 1:21.67.
“Everything set up perfectly,” Gaffalione said. “He broke well and put himself in the race. I was able to get a nice tracking spot inside. He gave me all the confidence going into the stretch, and once he found a spot, he accelerated and finished the job. All the credit goes to the trainer. He did a fabulous job getting him ready for today.”
Mind Control outkicked Wind of Change to take third by a neck, while Cool Arrow faded to fifth.
Haikal, Lasting Legacy, Last Judgment, Diamond Oops, Majestic Dunhill, Ebben, and Zenden completed the order of finish.
Sleepy Eyes Todd’s win was his second straight following the Lafayette Stakes at Keeneland on the Breeders’ Cup Saturday undercard and improved his overall record to 15-8-2-0. The 4-year-old Paddy O’Prado colt, purchased for $9,000, has now earned $744,825.
“This is the best horse we’ve ever had,” said Silva, who said that the plan is to appear next in the Pegasus World Cup (G1). “We’ve always been high on him. We wanted to take him to the Kentucky Derby (last year), but he had a little issue and we had to stop with him. He’s always been a nice horse. We’ve always believed in him.”
Sleepy Eyes Todd returned $12.20 to win, $6 to place, and $4.60 to show. Firenze Fire brought back $4.40 to place and $3.60 to show, while Mind Control paid $6 to show.
