The 6-year-old was most recently second in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 1.
Steal Sunshine , a last-out second to Mindframe in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 1, will be back on the work tab March 15 ahead of a next scheduled start in the $1 million Godolphin Mile (G2) on the Dubai World Cup (G1) undercard April 5 at Meydan Racecourse.
Gulfstream-based trainer Bobby Dibona said Steal Sunshine's regular rider, Paco Lopez, will be aboard the 6-year-old son of Constitution both for his breeze over the main track and the race in Dubai.
"He's going to work Saturday," Dibona said. "We're doing all the preparations. He's doing good, and he's a good shipper. I'm not worried about that. I shipped him to Ellis Park and won (the 2022 Ellis Park Derby) with him. Hey, maybe we can pull it off."
Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Carrie Brogden, Kevin Pollard, Ed Gorry and David Menard's Steal Sunshine has made 21 of 27 career starts over his home track at Gulfstream, with Ellis Park his only out-of-town victory. Overall, he has a record of 7-3-7 with $700,960 in purse earnings.
Steal Sunshine was the defending champion in the Gulfstream Park Mile, a race where he got pinched back at the start and trailed the field for four furlongs racing along the rail before tipping wide nearing the stretch and closing stoutly to come within 1 1/4 lengths of 2024 Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) runner-up Mindframe, the recently named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year making his first start in more than seven months.
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"If I don't get destroyed leaving the gate, I beat Mindframe that day. I spotted the field 20 lengths. He ran huge. After that race, they extended the invitation for the (Godolphin) Mile," Dibona said. "He's a good horse. He needs a hot pace, and I think we'll get it. I think he'll have the pace he needs out there and Paco says he's doing so, so good right now."
Lopez has ridden Steal Sunshine in eight of 10 starts since December 2023 with two wins, including the Gulfstream Park Mile.
"This horse, he's great but you've got to know how to ride him, and he does, so it's all good," Dibona said. "He'll leave on (March 22) and we'll get out there and get a chance to maybe blow him out a little bit before the race."
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.