Weekend Hideaway surpassed the half-million dollar earnings mark with a four-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint S. at Gulfstream Park, the fifth lifetime stakes win for the newly-turned 5-year-old son of Speightstown.
Weekend Hideaway chased the Sprint’s heavy favorite Happy My Way through the first half-mile, which went in a very quick :44.96, then ranged up to wrest command of the lead with a furlong to run. In the final eighth, it was all Weekend Hideaway, who drew off powerfully to stop the timer in an excellent 1:08.64, less than a second off the track record.
“The way I handicapped the race, Happy My Way had the speed and the one-hole, so he had to go. I sat right off the pace, and it worked out great. I think the outside post gave me a big plus to win the race,” winning jockey Javier Castellano said. “The way he did it in the last part, he was very comfortable. I know they went really fast on the pace and it paid off in the last part of the race.”
With his four previous stakes wins all coming in New York, Weekend Hideaway has now earned a total of $507,332 while posting a mark of 7-3-3 in 20 starts. The chestnut horse was bred by Flying Zee Stables as was purchased by his owner Red and Black Stable from the Flying Zee dispersal sale at Keeneland in 2011.
In addition to Weekend Hideaway, Speightstown is represented by additional black type winners Reynaldothewizard, who took the Dubawi S. in Dubai on Thursday and Barbados, who captured the $100,000 Spectacular Bid S. at Gulfstream on Jan. 3.
