Zayat Stable's pacesetter Fri Guy finished another 2 3/4 lengths back in third in the field of 11 older horses as the winner was timed in 2:24.98 over the firm course. A son of Langfuhr, Jambalaya is based most of the year in Canada at Woodbine and been a leader in the turf stakes division there the last couple of seasons.
Winning rider Javier Castellano said, "I had a beautiful trip today. I had the inside advantage with the post position and was able to stay on the rail and save ground. All I had to do was swing around when it was time. I had plenty of horse because I was able to stay off of the pace. He had a lot left today."
Co-owner and trainer Catherine Day-Phillips added, "He's a very easy horse to train. He relaxes, and he's so easy on himself. After his last race we gave him a couple of weeks off. His first breeze back was easy and we just kept adding a little bit more each time, and he came into this in great shape. It's obvious he gets along beautifully with Javier (Castellano). He'll run on just about any type of turf, but we just had some ridiculously soft turf last year in Canada. He loves it down here and thrives. We'll take him back to Ocala and then back to Canada."
