Photo:

Lauren King / Gulfstream Park

Soul of an Angel recovered from a slow start in Saturday’s $220,000 Princess Rooney (G3) with an explosive last-to-first rally at Gulfstream Park, providing her owners with a return ticket to the Breeders’ Cup.

Soul of an Angel ($6.40), owned by C2 Racing Stable and Agave Racing Stable, earned a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on Nov. 2 at Del Mar with her 3 1/4-length triumph in the seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, a win and you’re in Breeders’ Cup challenge race.

Mark and Clint Cornett, brothers and principles of C2 Racing Stable, visited the Santa Anita winner’s circle last year with White Abarrio, winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“We’re going to give her time off now. She’s not Breeders’ Cup nominated, but we’re going to pay that fee to do that. Her entry fee is paid for with this, so we’re going to go there for sure,” Mark Cornett said. “It gives us some nice spacing.”

Soul of an Angel broke slowest of nine and trailed the field as Cousin Kristi set the pace along the backstretch, pressed by Beth’s Dream, the 4-5 favorite who was seeking her fifth victory in a row. After a half mile built on fractions of 23.10 and 45.79 seconds, Beth’s Dream edged away from the tiring pacesetter while straightening for the stretch run under Emisael Jaramillo.

In the meantime, jockey Drayden Van Dyke had gotten Soul of an Angel rolling, and the 2-1 second choice cut inside of two rivals on the turn into the stretch being taken to the far outside for her stretch run. Beth’s Dream appeared on her way to victory in midstretch but began to shorten stride late as Soul of an Angel loomed in full stride. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 5-year-old mare would not be denied in her quest for a second graded-stakes victory since being privately purchased by her connections just prior to her victory in the May 4 Ruffian (G2) at Aqueduct.

“When we bought her, we thought she was going to be a one-turn horse. That’s why we ran her in the Ruffian the first race after we bought her, and she confirmed what we thought. She ran so good it’s hard to pass up Grade 1s at Saratoga, so we kind of got that goal accomplished,” said Cornett, referring to the daughter of Atreides’ distant third-place finish in the Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga in her previous start. “She was Grade 1-placed up there, so we said let’s go back to why we bought her which is the one-turn, seven-eighths to a mile type races.”

Soul of an Angel ran seven furlongs in 1:23.23, giving Van Dyke his first graded-stakes victory since he won the 2021 Pat O’Brien (G2) at Del Mar aboard Ginobili.

“She didn’t necessarily break bad, but she just wasn’t as quick as the others,” Van Dyke said. “Saffie said, ‘Just keep her as close as you can,’ but we were last by a ways. He said, ‘Try to save as much ground as you can if you can go inside. That’s what we did, and she had a helluva kick.”

Beth’s Dream held second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Battle Cry, her Victor Barboza Jr.-trained stablemate.