BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. elected to send Spirit Wind to Oaklawn Park for the $150,000 Poinsettia Saturday after cross-entering her to defend her title in Gulfstream Park’s Sugar Swirl on the same day and the 5-year-old Florida-bred mare certified the decision with a determined victory. Spirit Wind took the $150,000 Poinsettia against six other fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, for her third stakes win in eight starts this year.
Ridden for the first time by Fernando Jara, Spirit Wind started evenly before settling into third, about a length behind High Class during the early stages. High Class clipped off a :22.49 first quarter mile with Astemia to her outside before Spirit Wind went three wide to begin closing in.
Astemia took the lead midway around the turn but had to fight off Spirit Wind at the head of the stretch as High Class dropped back. Astemia maintained a narrow lead with a furlong to run before a determined Spirit Wind took a clear lead inside the final sixteenth then held on to win by a length ahead of Fibber in second. Royal Spa with another half-length back in third followed by Astemia, Pistol, High Class and Holly Dolly.
Spirit Wind finished up in a final time of 1:04.28 for five-and-a-half furlongs on the fast track and paid $4.80 to win as the 7-5 favorite.
“She got her job done, thank God,” Joseph said. “For sure, she ran great. [Jockey Fernando Jara] took her back early. I thought she was getting out a little bit without the extended blinker. But once she straightened up, she kind of looked like she had the race. Then, towards the end, it kind of got a little closer. But she held on and that’s the important thing.”
A winner of the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star Park in May and the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga Race Course in July, Spirit Wind had just finished third to Upper Case in the $295,000 Dream Surpreme at Churchill Downs on Nov. 9. She also counts among the stakes victories the $100,000 Any Limit and $65,000 Musical Romance in 2022 and the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl last year.
A 5-year-old daughter of Double Diamond Farm stallion Bahamian Squall out of Sacred Psalm, by Awesome of Course, Spirit Wind has now won half of her 16 career starts with three seconds and two thirds. Bred in Florida by Jacks or Better Farm Inc., Spirit Wind is owned by Miller Racing LLC and now sports career earnings of $729,590.
Sacred Psalm has produced eight winners from nine starters including stakes-winner Sing Praises, by Hear No Evil; and stakes-placed Silent Prayer by Brooks ‘n Down. Sacred Psalm has an unraced 2-year-old colt, Lead Pipe Joe, by Battalion Runner; and an unnamed yearling colt by Vino Rosso.
