Florida Focus

to be on the lead. But Umberto [Rispoli on Game Time] wanted to go, so we were fine running second,” Prat said. “My horse was relaxed and that’s what I wanted. When it came time, he went about his business. Two turns, no problem today. Good race for him.”

Speed Boat Beach provided trainer Bob Baffert with his first victory in the DeMille and hopes of better things ahead.

“I liked the way he relaxed and [yet] he has the speed,” Baffert said. “For a horse that can go from a five-and-a half [furlongs] track record and then win going a mile on the turf, that’s a pretty good racehorse and he’s going to get better with age. So we’ll just pick our spots with him. Just have fun with him.”

Speed Boat Beach races in the familiar orange and yellow colors of owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and was bred in Florida by Richard Heysek’s Caperlane Farm.

He was a $200,000 purchase by his current ownership team in the name of their Three Amigos banner at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where Speed Boat Beach was consigned by Really and Truly Thoroughbreds. He also sold for $12,000 as a yearling at the 2021 OBS October Sale where Rubin M. Sanchez bought him out of the Stuart Morris consignment.

Speed Boat Beach is by Bayern out of the unraced mare Sophia Mia, by Pioneerof the Nile and has now won three of four career starts while banking $178,000. He is the first foal out of Sophia

Angel Penna Jr. was remembered Dec. 14 in memorial service in the winner’s circle at Gulfstream Park.

Penna, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Angel Penna Sr., was honored on the same day Gulfstream played host to the Via Borghese, a race named after one of Penna’s many graded-stakes winners. The winning trophy was presented by his late father’s wife, Elinor, and his widow, Ruth.

Penna, who passed away Nov. 22 in Boca Raton, trained Eclipse Award winners Christmas Past and Laugh and Be Merry. He also trained Grade 1-winners Auntie Mame, Remarkable News, Diamondrella, Perfect Arc, Nine Keys and A Phenomenon.

Penna was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina before taking out his trainer’s license in 1980. Penna was a much-respected horseman and a great ambassador for the sport. n

Mia, who also has an unnamed yearling filly by Distorted Humor and a weanling filly by Volatile. She was bred to Army Mule in 2022. Sophia Mia was purchased by Caperlane for $4,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. n

Angel Morales, a 19-year-old native of Panama, rode his first winner in the U.S. Dec. 16 when he won Gulfstream Park’s ninth race aboard Sheza Happy Girl.

Racing third between horses down the backstretch and around the turn of the $12,500 claiming event going seven furlongs, Morales and Sheza Happy Girl took the lead down the stretch and held off Your Inheritance and jockey Jose Ortiz.

“It feels great,” Morales said. “I am very happy.”

Morales, who rode four winners in Panama, came to the U.S. in October and has been working in the mornings for trainer Claudio Gonzalez. Sheza Happy Girl, who went off 17-1 and paid $37.20 to win, was the eleventh mount for Morales in the U.S. n

Corona Bolt ran to his 1-2 odds Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds as the Florida-bred colt dominated the $97,000 Sugar Bowl with a sixand-three-quarters-length victory against five other 2-year-olds going six furlongs.

Trained by Brad Cox for Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables LLC, Corona Bolt is now undefeated in two starts after winning his first career race by a length against special weight company at Churchill Downs on Nov. 19.

Corona Bolt went right to the front from post three in the Sugar Bowl where jockey Florent Geroux guided him through a quarter-mile in :22.24 while a length in front of Late September and Machine Gun Man together in second. Corona Bolt continued to lead around the far turn and stretched his margin to a lengthand-a-half through a half-mile in :45.92 as Distorted Pro, Late September and fellow Florida-bred Toddchero gave chase in a joint second while three across the track at the top of the stretch.

Corona Bolt was never challenged in the run to the finish and galloped under the wire in 1:09.96 on the fast track with Distorted Pro second and just a nose in front of Toddchero in third. Late September, Alto Road and Machine Gun Man completed the order of finish.

“When you’re a heavy favorite like this, you try not to think too much as long as the horse cooperates and breaks well,” Geroux said. “So when he broke sharp, I just tried to take command and