There’s a quiet determination behind Finding Strength as she prepares to line up in Saturday’s $200,000 Susan’s Girl at Gulfstream Park. The 2-year-old filly has already shown flashes of brilliance this season, narrowly missing victory in the Desert Vixen Stakes, and now trainer Michael Yates hopes she can deliver a defining moment in the Florida Sire Stakes series.
“This is our home base. We get a handful of 2-year-olds every year,” said Yates, an Ocala native whose stable has long thrived in Florida-bred contests. “It’s one of our major goals each season.”
Finding Strength, a daughter of Khozan owned by LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable, comes into the seven-furlong second leg of the series with her first stakes win tantalizingly close. In the $100,000 Desert Vixen on September 6, she battled Lennilu down to the wire, finishing just a nose behind the favorite.
“Her effort was huge. She dug in and was coming back,” Yates noted. “She just lost the bob, plain and simple.”
The filly debuted with a late rally to finish third in a five-furlong maiden for Florida-breds before breaking her maiden by 4 ¼ lengths at 5 ½ furlongs. Yates praised her natural talent and readiness to compete at a higher level.
Regular rider Jesus Rios returns aboard Finding Strength, continuing a successful partnership forged over years of Florida Sire Stakes campaigns. Yates highlighted the strong rapport between horse and jockey, citing their shared history with stakes-winning Rated By Merit and other Florida Sire Stakes stars.
This year’s Susan’s Girl also features graded stakes winner Mythical, trained by Jorge Delgado, who captured the Tremont and Adirondack Stakes before a fifth-place finish in the Spinaway (G1). The Arindel homebred goes off as the 7-5 morning-line favorite from the far outside post under Emisael Jaramillo. Drama, another Arindel runner, and Love Like Lucy, returning with blinkers for MyRacehorse Thoroughbred Acquisition Group LLC, add further intrigue to the field.
Other notable entrants include Sister Hustle, a Presque Isle Downs debut winner now trained by Joe Orseno; Win Bet Only, a promising second-place finisher under Edwin Gonzalez; Blazing Bridgette, trained by Kenny McPeek; and maiden winners Tizasweetlady, Stunning Sapphire, and Flowko. Social Storm, Dare Greatly, and Laigina round out the competitive dozen.
As Gulfstream Park prepares for a high-stakes clash of 2-year-old fillies, Finding Strength represents a combination of raw talent, experienced guidance, and a history of near-misses that make her one to watch. Yates’ stable hopes to turn promise into a stakes victory and extend his impressive Florida Sire Stakes résumé.
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