Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out a quintet of fillies and mares in the $175,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) being run March 7 at Gulfstream Park, led by 2025 Gallant Bloom Stakes (G2) winner R Disaster. This will be the first start of 2026 for the 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Slew .
A model of consistency, R Disaster never finished outside the top two in 2025, with runner-up finishes in three graded stakes, including the Hurricane Bertie. She also ran second in the Vagrancy Stakes (G3) and the Honorable Miss Stakes (G2), where she finished ahead of eventual 2025 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Scylla.
R Disaster, owned by Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing, and ATM Racing, was last seen finishing a head behind Hillerito in the Dream Supreme Stakes Nov. 8 at Churchill Downs.
Her competition in the 6 1/2-furlong Hurrican Bertie will be stablemates Taliesan, stakes winner Luvumorgan, 2025 Charles Town Oaks (G2) winner Indy Bay, and graded stakes-placed stakes winner Andrea.
Agave Racing Stable, Miller Racing, and BAG Racing Stables' Indy Bay has been winless since her victory in the Charles Town Oaks, with her most recent effort a 10th-place finish Jan. 26 in the Inside Information Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream. Andrea, who finished third to Indy Bay in the Charles Town Oaks, has not hit the board in her last two starts.
Tailisan comes off a third-place finish Jan. 22 in a strong allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream, where she finished behind Smith Ranch Stables' Lynn's Milky Way, and last year's Hurricane Bertie winner Nic's Style. She faces Lynn's Milky Way again Saturday in the Hurricane Bertie. Smith Ranch Stables' 4-year-old daughter of Volatile comes into the race off back-to-back wins at Gulfstream in 6-furlong allowance optional claiming races.
Mark Anderson's millionaire Sterling Silver, who was last seen finishing second to Grand Job in the Inside Information Stakes, will look to get back to her winning ways. The 7-year-old daughter of Cupid has held her own against some of racing's most highly-regarded stars over the past four years. Before the Inside Information, she won back-to-back stakes, taking the Iroquois Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Rampart Stakes at Gulfstream, which was her first start under her new trainer Anthony Margotta Jr. Prior to that, she was under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who took over her training in the summer of 2024.
Sterling Silver was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect at Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale last fall but failed to meet her reserve, attracting a final bid of $975,000.
Beyond Belief and Roswell round out the field.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 7, 2026, Race 11Entries: Hurricane Bertie S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Lynn's Milky Way (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Luis M. Ramirez - 2 Taliesin (KY) Edwin Gonzalez 120 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 3 Beyond Belief (KY) Joe Bravo 120 Kelly J. Breen - 4 Sterling Silver (NY) Rajiv Maragh 122 Anthony R. Margotta, Jr. - 5 R Disaster (FL) Micah J. Husbands 124 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 6 Luvumorgan (KY) Jorge Ruiz 120 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 7 Indy Bay (KY) Dylan Davis 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 8 Andrea (KY) Miguel Angel Vasquez 120 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - 9 Roswell (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 120 William I. Mott -
Litigation Heads Field of Seven for Silks Run Stakes
Stone Farm's homebred Litigation will take on a field of six in the $125,000 Silk Run Stakes on the same card, going 5 furlongs on the turf. The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy is coming into the race off a victory Jan. 24 in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes.
Since breaking his maiden in May of last year, he has only finished off the board once—in the Dec. 20 Janus Stakes at Gulfstream, after getting bumped at the break and never fully settling in. Regular rider Mario Gutierrez will be in the irons for trainer Brian Lynch.
Among those he will face is Sport of Kings Racing Partners' Coppola, who won the 2024 Silks Run. The 7-year-old millionaire son of Into Mischief was victorious just once in 2025, taking the William Garrett Handicap by 2 lengths at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He has finished off the board in his first two starts of this year. He has already notched four wins at Gulfstream, seven wins on the turf, and six wins at the distance.
Mark Casse will send out Live Oak Plantation's homebred Souper Quest, who won an allowance optional claiming race Feb. 7 at Gulfstream. The 6-year-old Florida-bred Munnings colt finished fourth in last year's Silks Run.
Another formidable challenger could be Robert Cotran's Rezasrolex, a 5-year-old gelded son of Bucchero , who has won 13 of 18 career starts. He raced undefeated for nine races from June 21, 2024, to Jan. 11 of this year. He comes into the Silks Run off a second by neck in the Feb. 14 Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 7, 2026, Race 7Entries: Silks Run S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Rezasrolex (FL) Edgard J. Zayas 120 Joseph F. Orseno - 2 Souper Quest (FL) Dylan Davis 122 Mark E. Casse - 3 Litigation (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Brian A. Lynch - 4 Coppola (KY) David Egan 122 Dale L. Romans - 5 Classic of Course (FL) Romero Ramsay Maragh 122 Patrick L. Biancone - 6 Sosua Summer (KY) Jorge Ruiz 122 Victor Barboza, Jr. - 7 Eamonn (KY) Edwin Gonzalez 122 Joseph F. Orseno -
