Win propels Stephen Got Even to among handicap division leaders

There was never a question about potential.

Stephen and Tomisue Hilbert's Stephen Got Even always had potential-the ability, the looks, and the pedigree-and had flashes of brilliance.Stephen Got Even seemed to have it all.

But when he entered the gate on February 5 at Gulfstream Park for the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1), Stephen Got Even had earned just one victory in the past ten months, which was an allowance race. Stephen Got Even's major claim to fame heading into the Donn was that he had won racing's first dot.com race, the Gallery Furniture.com Stakes (G2) at Turfway Park.

With his performance in the Donn, though, Stephen Got Even can stake a claim to being one of the handicap division's brightest new stars.

Making his first start in 16 weeks for trainer Nick Zito, Stephen Got Even made a big impression in the first race in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's NTRA Champions on Fox series. After gamely holding off Frank Stronach's Golden Missile from the quarter pole to the sixteenth pole, Stephen Got Even pulled away inside the final 70 yards under jockey Shane Sellers to win the Donn by three-quarters of a length.

Highweighted at 121 pounds, Behrens, runner-up in the voting for champion older male of 1999, was the Donn betting favorite at 2.40-to-1 and was another 41Ú2 lengths farther back in third, with 1999 Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Best of Luck finishing fourth. Also in the beaten field were Sir Bear (fifth), Almutawakel (GB) (seventh), and First American (eighth).

Stephen Got Even, a son of A.P. Indy purchased for $325,000 at the 1997 Keeneland July yearling sale, carried 115 pounds and covered the Donn's 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.50 on a fast track. The second betting choice at 3.30-to-1, Stephen Got Even was registering his first win since an allowance score on September 1 at Saratoga Race Course. Third in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 18, 14th in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1), Stephen Got Even has earned more than $1-million.

"No matter how you look at it, that he hadn't run in (four) months and now was facing Grade 1 horses, it was very impressive," Zito said of the Donn.

It was also the kind of race Zito and the Hilberts had been waiting for since Stephen Got Even won the Gallery Furniture and became a classics favorite. But making just his fifth career start in the Derby, Stephen Got Even "got a little beat up and lost his confidence," Stephen Hilbert said of that effort.

Stephen Got Even showed his potential later with his game performance in the Woodward. But after getting beat 71Ú2 lengths by River Keen (Ire) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in October, Zito decided to pass up the Breeders' Cup.

"But Nick Zito told us we had something special," said Hilbert, a resident of Indianapolis and chief executive officer of Conseco insurance company. "We never lost faith in this horse, and he proved it to us today."

Heady ride by Sellers

Breaking from the rail in the ten-horse field, Stephen Got Even and Sellers made pacesetter Call Me Mr. Vain work for the lead through an opening quarter-mile in :23.24 while in second along the rail. Golden Missile, making his first start since a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), was a close fifth under jockey Edgar Prado while Behrens, making his first start since finishing seventh in the Classic, was in eighth under jockey Jorge Chavez.

Donn H. (G1)
Gulfstream Park, February 5, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, fast, 1:48.50

1-STEPHEN GOT EVEN, c. 4, A.P. Indy-Immerse, by Cox's Ridge.
2-Golden Missile, h. 5, A.P. Indy-Santa Catalina, by Cure the Blues.
3-Behrens, h. 6, Pleasant Colony-Hot Novel, by Mari's Book.

"I was in a great spot all the way," Sellers said. "From the start, I decided to lay close because not many horses had been out in a while and I didn't want to get trapped behind them."

After a :46.86 half-mile, Philip H. Iselin Handicap (G2) runner-up Call Me Mr. Vain began to tire approaching the three-eighths pole. Sellers pulled alongside the leader entering the final turn while Prado moved Golden Missile three wide into second. By the time Stephen Got Even and Golden Missile hit the stretch, Chavez had kick-started Behrens into third and Shadwell Stable's Almutawakel had moved into fifth.

Approaching the eighth pole, Stephen Got Even's one-length lead had dwindled to a half-length over Golden Missile. But Stephen Got Even proved game and with 70 yards until the finish, he edged away from Golden Missile.

"I asked him to come home and he took me," said Sellers. "It was a very powerful race."

Prado said his colt was strong even though he was coming off a layoff, and a different strategy may have earned Golden Missile the victory.

"I saw the way Shane was riding his horse, and I thought we could get by them anytime we wanted to," Prado said. "I should have let my horse go a little sooner, maybe on the turn. I had a lot of horse left at the finish."

Golden Missile's trainer, Joe Orseno, had no regrets, though. "Only one outcome would have made us happier," Orseno said. "He wasn't peaking (for the Donn), but this was a great comeback race for him, and I think he'll move forward from here."

Trainer H. James Bond, who did not decide until the morning of the race to run Behrens (he scratched Clark Handicap [G2] runner-up Pleasant Breeze), took the performance of Behrens in stride. The six-year-old, who reeled off four consecutive graded stakes victories last year from February through July, is now winless in his last four starts. Behrens managed his third-place finish despite being steadied slightly around the first turn and then forced five wide on the final turn.

"He got boxed around a little bit, but it wasn't the worst race in the world," Bond said. "As long as he came back good."

Bond said Behrens could head to California for the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 4.

Almutawakel, making his first start since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Classic, checked in seventh.

"(Jockey) John (Velazquez) said he felt strong down the backstretch, but on the turn when he went to get after him he didn't punch," said trainer Mark Hennig.

Stephen Got Even delivered the best punch on this day. The colt was bred by William S. Farish and William Kilroy and purchased on the advice of Tim Sams, who runs the Hilberts' operation, which includes four horses in training and 16 broodmares.

"This (win) ranks pretty high up there," said Stephen Hilbert, who also owned the multiple stakes winner Tomisue's Delight.

Zito, who said the Derby might have been too much too soon for Stephen Got Even, did not know where or when Stephen Got Even would run next. The Big 'Cap is an option, Zito said, as is the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G1) on February 26.

"I wish I could just rest on my laurels after this race," Zito said. "The Donn is a prestigious race. But this horse is coming off a long layoff, and as hard as he ran today against all these Grade 1 horses, I just don't know. If you rush him back too soon you can make a mistake." Said Hilbert: "There are a lot of races to be won this year, and we might have the horse to win them."

Marley Vale wins Shirley Jones

There was a little redemption on February 2 for trainer Todd Pletcher and Marley Vale.

Three weeks earlier, Pletcher had watched Eugene Melnyk's four-year-old filly come up a nose shy of Hurricane Bertie in the First Lady Handicap (G3). It was a tough loss for Marley Vale, and it started a string of second-place finishes for Pletcher. In fact, Pletcher watched a dozen of his runners finish second in the first 25 days of this meet, and one of his biggest wins-in the Hutcheson Stakes (G2)-was shared when his trainee More Than Ready dead-heated with Summer Note.

Shirley Jones H. (G3)
Gulfstream Park, February 2, $100,000, 7 furlongs, fast, 1:22.24

1-MARLEY VALE, f. 4, Forty Niner-Waggley, by Hagley.
2-Cassidy, m. 5, Jolie's Halo-Hop a Jet, by Riva Ridge.
3-Class On Class, m. 5, Jolie's Halo-Classic Value, by Copelan.

But on February 2, Pletcher made it to the winner's circle all alone when Marley Vale won the Shirley Jones Handicap (G3) by 1 3/4 lengths over Peter Mirabelli's Cassidy. Fred Hooper's Class On Class was third, while Hurricane Bertie finished fourth.

For Marley Vale, a daughter of Forty Niner who last year won the Test Stakes (G1) and finished second in the Ashland Stakes (G1), the Shirley Jones ended with a $60,000 check and seven furlongs covered in 1:22.24. She received a perfect ride under Velazquez.

While Hurricane Bertie and jockey Pat Day were forced through a :22.48 and :45.12 pace by Lily's Affair, Marley Vale stalked the leaders in fourth. After moving four wide, Velazquez zipped Marley Vale to the lead and never looked back. Cassidy, who finished third in the First Lady, got up this time for the place.

"She always breaks a bit slowly, so I let her find her best stride coming out of the gate," Velazquez said.

Pletcher, whose filly has been defeated only twice in six starts over Gulfstream's surface, may be forced to hit the road for her next start. "I'd love to be able to run her one more time at Gulfstream because she likes the track so much," Pletcher said. "But there's really nothing here for her unless I stretch her out, and I really don't want to do that."

Deep Gold's Deputy Minister

Fresh off an impressive allowance score, Deep Gold contested the early pace of the $100,000 Deputy Minister Handicap (G3) on February 6, gained the lead in midstretch, and held off 2.30-to-1 Forty One Carat's furious late rush to win by three-quarters of a length. Klabin's Gold, who also closed from the back of the field, finished third.

Deputy Minister H. (G3)
Gulfstream Park, February 6, $100,000, 6 1/2 furlongs, fast, 1:15.89

1-DEEP GOLD, c. 4, Olympio-Distinctive Review, by Distinctive Pro.
2-Forty One Carats, c. 4, Tactical Advantage-Aly's Jul, by Alysheba.
3-Klabin's Gold, g. 5, Strike the Gold-Splendid Launch, by Relaunch.

Deep Gold, a 16-to-1 longshot in the field of eight, ran the Deputy Minister's 61Ú2 furlongs in 1:15.89 and provided trainer Bernie Flint with his third stakes win of the meet.

At the break, Lifeisawhirl took the lead with Bet Me Best and Deep Gold pressing the pace through a :22.05 initial quarter-mile and :44.56 for the half. As his opponents on the front end began to tire in the stretch, Deep Gold gained a half-length lead at the furlong pole under Velazquez.

Forty One Carats was still last at the furlong pole, but he and Chavez ate up ground to the wire. They had left themselves too much to make up, however, and had to settle for second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Klabin's Gold, who had been seventh at the furlong pole.

"We went to school the first couple of times we ran him down here," assistant trainer Steve Flint said of Deep Gold, a four-year-old Olympio colt owned by Joselito Millan and Naveed Chowhan. "We tried to rate him and it was a tactical error. I told Johnny (Velazquez) to send him on out of there and to give him a chance to win." Deep Gold improved his record to six wins in 20 starts and has career earnings of $275,256.

Steve Flint, the trainer's son, said Deep Gold most likely will start next in the Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Championship (G2) on March 10.

NOTEBOOK-Along with Stephen Got Even and First American, a few other top three-year-olds from a year ago ran on February 5 at Gulfstream. Remember Certain, who was placed first in the Arkansas Derby (G2) after winner Valhol was disqualified when it was alleged his jockey was carrying an electrical stimulation device? While the case involving the disqualification continues to be battled out in court, Certain finished third in making his four-year-old debut (and running for the first time since May 8) in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles. The colt finished behind pacesetting winner Yankee Victor and Adonis despite being three wide throughout. ... Meanwhile, Celtic Pride Stable's 1998 Champagne Stakes (G1) winner The Groom Is Red made his first appearance since May 23 while making his turf debut at 1 1/16 miles. The four-year-old son of Runaway Groom finished ninth in a ten-horse field. ... Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was preparing to beef up his stable here considerably with the addition of Cash Run and High Yield. Cash Run, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) over this track, was expected to arrive here on February 10 to prepare for the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) on February 20, while High Yield was expected to run in the February 19 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G1). ... Stronach Stable appears to have a promising three-year-old colt in Red Bullet, who remains undefeated in two starts while winning on February 5 at seven furlongs under jockey Jerry Bailey. Red Bullet, who broke his maiden on January 8 at Aqueduct by seven lengths, cruised to a 2 1/2-length victory here in 1:24.27.

Dave Joseph is the Turf writer of the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel.