Set impresses again with easy Cutler Bay victory
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Set validated his impressive debut victory last month with a solid 1 1/4-length score in Saturday’s $125,000 Cutler Bay Stakes for 3-year-olds, the first of 10 stakes run on Florida Derby day at Gulfstream Park.
Unlike his debut, when he rolled to a 5 3/4-length score on the lead, Set, under Emisael Jaramillo, sat off the pacesetting King Julien for the opening half-mile before taking over from that one just before the quarter pole. Set just needed a tap or two from Jaramillo’s whip in the stretch to hold a closing Double Your Money safe and notch his second victory in as many starts.
Double Your Money finished a neck in front Salvattore Prince for second. Tok Tok finished fourth and was followed by Old Flag, with King Julien and Ari’s Magic completed the order of finish. Private Thoughts and Massif were scratched.
“That was nice to see him settle a bit,” winning trainer Mark Casse said. “There’s always going to be somebody faster than you; I thought it was a good learning experience.”
Jaramillo, through an interpreter, said he was comfortable letting Set sit behind King Julien.
“I allowed the horse inside to take the lead because I knew I had horse to chase him and run him down,” Jaramillo said.
Set, a New York-bred son of Oscar Performance owned by Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, covered the 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:28.10 over firm ground and returned $3.20 as the favorite.
Casse noted that it took an outrider to help Jaramillo pull him midway down the backside.
Casse said Set will likely get the opportunity to run farther, perhaps in the Grade 2, $600,000 American Turf at 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs on May 4.
For Barber, it was his third stakes win on the day, all before 1 p.m. Eastern. Barber was part owner of Facteur Cheval, who won the $5 million Dubai Turf in Meydan and Easy, who won a listed stakes at Cork in Ireland.