Sylven Park ships from Kentucky to face winners

Sylven Park was so impressive in winning a maiden race during the final week of the Churchill Downs spring meet that Tevis McCauley had to fend off quite a few would-be buyers. Sylven Park was so impressive in winning a maiden race during the final week of the Churchill Downs spring meet that Tevis McCauley had to fend off quite a few would-be buyers. “We had lots of calls on him but liked him too much to sell for what the offers were,” said McCauley, who trains and co-owns Sylven Park, a Wildcat Heir colt, with his brother, Nathan.

Since that flashy June 25 score, Sylven Park has breezed three times at McCauley’s main base at Keeneland in Kentucky, but lacking a suitable spot to run in that region, McCauley has opted to ship him to Gulfstream Park for the colt’s first crack at an allowance. With leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione to ride, Sylven Park figures as one of the top contenders in the Sunday feature at Gulfstream, a $44,000, first-level allowance with a $25,000 claiming option scheduled for five furlongs on turf. “We expect him to be rolling home Sunday the way he did in his last work,” said McCauley. Sylven Park will face more experienced rivals in the seventh of 11 races at the south Florida track, with the uncoupled Sally Mitchelhill duo of Little Baker and Starship Sulu – both entered for the $25,000 claiming option – perhaps the main threats. Other logical possibilities include El Botas and Moonshine Sipper. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern. After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark for three days before another four-day race week starts Thursday.

Race 7 KEY CONTENDERS

Sylven Park (Last 2 Beyers: 77-73) “We claimed his dam [Birdie Birdie] for $5,000 at Mountaineer Park to make a broodmare,” said McCauley. “He’s not eligible for Kentucky supplement money, and he put in such a great showing in his first start at Gulfstream this winter that we thought we’d go back.”

Little Baker (Last 3 Beyers: 75-83-86) This 4-year-old gelding had a three-race winning streak snapped when finishing third behind Starship Sulu in a similar Gulfstream turf sprint July 3 and now makes his first start for Mitchelhill.

Starship Sulu (Last 3 Beyers: 87-73-84) Led every step of the key July 3 race for Averill Racing, which has turned over most of its stock to Mitchelhill as Kirk Ziadie continues to fight a legal battle to restore his trainer’s license; gelding comes favorably drawn in the outside post with top apprentice Harry Hernandez.