Cosmic Speculation and Ortiz make it two in a row at Gulfstream

Cosmic Speculation became Bucchero’s first two-time winner of 2023 yesterday with a wire-to-wire performance under Jose Ortiz in a $39,000 starter optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park.

In the 3-year-old gelding’s prior start on Feb. 17, Ortiz had guided Cosmic Speculation to a maiden-breaking wire-to–wire effort at 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass in which he achieved his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure – an 80, and paid $30.20. Ortiz went one better this time, lulling his rivals to sleep through moderate fractions of :23.02, :47.94 and 1:11.52 and getting Cosmic Speculation home by half a length in the race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, this time with another career best ‘E’ figure of 81.

Cosmic Speculation, bred by Jennifer and Gillian Johnson, paid $13 and earned a check for $23,800, raising his five-race total to $64,300. He’s Bucchero’s leading money-winner so far this season with $55,000 in the bank, and lifted his sire’s progeny earnings for a little more than one season to within $47,000 of $1 million.