Mattingly 2nd in $200,000 Affirmed

Bentornato proved to be as good as his 4/5 price on the tote board in the $200,000 Affirmed Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park, second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes, winning the seven-furlong race by nearly three lengths in 1:23.50. But Mattingly finished a game second in the race and collected a check for $40,000 for Ironhorse Racing and Harlow Stables.

Two-time stakes-winner Mattingly, a $70,000 OBS March purchase and the second-leading Bucchero 2-year-old of 2023 behind Book’em Danno, increased his earnings to $187,028 on a record of 2-3-0 in five starts.