Bahamian Squall picked up his second stakes-winner of the season yesterday when Jacks or Better Farm’s highly-promising Spirit Wind captured the $100,000 Any Limit Stakes at Gulfstream Park. 

    Spirit Wind started just once as a 2-year-old last year for trainer Ralph Nicks, finishing second back on May 6 in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special that went in :51.91, just one second off the track record. The now-3-year-old filly then sat out for more than nine months, returning in a $53,000 maiden special on Feb. 18 and breaking her maiden by an eye-opening 15 1/2 lengths with six furlongs in 1:09.19, one second off Big Drama’s track record.

    With Tyler Gaffalione aboard yesterday, Spirit Wind broke on top, and was never seriously threatened in a convincing wire-to-wire effort, putting up sizzling fractions of :21.94, :44.39 and :56.92.  She sprinted away late to score by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:11.43 for the six furlongs, paying $4.40. The victory was worth $61,380 for Jacks or Better, raising the filly’s total to $102,060.

    At Charles Town last evening, Bahamian Girl found some of the form she had displayed when she was stakes-placed twice as a 2-year-old, which included a second in the Susan’s Girl at Gulfstream. The 5-year-old mare bred by McKathan Brothers broke on top in the 4 1/2-furlong race, and immediately engaged in a head-and- head battle with Uncanny, who was to her inside, six lengths ahead of the rest of the pack. 

    Coming to the turn, Bahamian Girl lost her action briefly in the sloppy going, but Marshall Mendez righted her quickly and she powered into the lead in the stretch, drawing off to win by nearly five lengths to become Bahamian Squall’s eighth winner of 2022. She collected $8,866 which ballooned her career bank account to $165,868, on a record of 5-3-4 in 33 starts.

  Bahamian Squall is No. 9 on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $294,059.