Ride On Curlin colt tons the best in first Florida juvenile test

The first 2-year-old race in Florida this season produced an eye-opening performance by Laki Lio, a Ride On Curlin colt who went wire-to-wire for owner/breeder Bella Inizio Farm at Gulfstream Park in near track-record time.

Angel Arroyo was aboard Laki Lio in the $65,000 maiden special, facing six others by such former Pleasant Acres stallions as Brethren and Long Island Sound, and another by Florida’s leading sire, Khozan.

Laki Lio was off like a shot, opening up daylight on the way to a sizzling quarter in :21.83 and a half in :45.67. He cruised into the stretch without being tested, and crossed the finish line in :52.16 for the 4 1/2 furlongs, 3 1/2 lengths in front, and just one second off the track record set nearly seven years ago.

The victory was worth $40,000, and installed Laki Lio as the leading money-earner in North America among the 13 other juveniles who have won a race.