G3 homebred standout seen as a major force for the Florida Sires Stakes filly finale

Gulfstream Park press office

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — Through her freshman season, Arindel’s homebred Mythical has banked three stakes triumphs—including a mixed-sex win and a Grade 3—and she owns 2025’s top Beyer Speed Figure among 2-year-old fillies, yet her team believes the peak still lies ahead. That confidence has grown because she keeps moving forward between starts, for example handling new surroundings and barn routines without fuss.

On Saturday in the $300,000 My Dear Girl at Gulfstream Park, a fresh milestone awaits: Mythical will try two turns for the first time while also guarding an unbeaten local record. For instance, a clean break and a relaxed mid-race rhythm could be key over the added ground.

Co-headlining an eleven-race slate are the My Dear Girl for fillies and the $300,000 In Reality, both at one and one-sixteenth miles, and together they close the forty-fourth running of the 1.2-million-dollar Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes for accredited Florida-sired juveniles. Think of it as the series finale on the racecard, where form cycle and stamina often decide outcomes.

Trainer Jorge Delgado recognized her talent early, and that promise turned tangible in her April 17 Gulfstream unveiling, when she sped 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.37 while making every pole a winning one and drawing away by eight and one-half lengths. As an illustration, she showed both gate zip and late separation.

“From the first time we put eyes on her, she made it obvious she had quality,” Delgado said. “The signals keep improving, which is thrilling. She’s been good so far, and it feels like she can become even better.”

Mythical shipped to Delgado’s northern division at Monmouth Park for the summer and raced three times at Saratoga: on June 5 during Belmont Stakes (G1) weekend she captured the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont against males by three and one-half lengths, earning a 93 Beyer; four weeks later in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack (G3), she controlled things from the break to the wire and won by three and one-quarter. For example, she handled both pace pressure and a different surface configuration.

Stretched out to seven furlongs in the Aug. 30 Spinaway (G1), she sparred on the lead before fading to fifth behind two-time Grade 1 winner Tommy Jo. Returned to Gulfstream for the FSS Susan’s Girl at seven-eighths—her first meeting with fellow Florida-breds—she resumed home-court duties. That shift, such as facing state-bred company, can reset a filly’s momentum.

“Last time she got some class relief,” Delgado said. “She had a very full summer at Saratoga—won against the boys, then took a graded stake, then tried a Grade 1—so she needed a chance to come back and do a little less.”

With regular rider Emisael Jaramillo—aboard for every start—Mythical revealed a new tool, rating early before taking over after a half-mile and powering clear by twelve and three-quarters as the 2–5 choice. As an example, she settled kindly before producing a decisive kick.

“She came in ready, and this track really suits her,” Delgado said. “She’s been progressing day by day. We’re eager to see how she handles two turns and what that opens up for her afterward.”

Since the Susan’s Girl, Mythical has logged three breezes, most recently four furlongs in 49.46 on Nov. 22. Jaramillo reunites from post three at a top impost of one hundred twenty-two pounds, giving away roughly two to four pounds to the rest. For context, such a spread is common when a filly has earned her badges.

“We feel she’ll handle it,” Delgado said of the two-turn exam. “Her gallops and races suggest it won’t pose a problem, but you only truly know once the gate opens.”

Without looking past the My Dear Girl, Arindel and Delgado hope she stays on a path toward a Kentucky Oaks (G1) bid next spring. During Gulfstream’s 2025–2026 Championship Meet, the Jan. 31 Forward Gal (G3), Feb. 28 Davona Dale (G2) and March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) award qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks, a roadmap handicappers watch closely.

“The Oaks is in the back of our minds,” Delgado said. “We want to find a spot here to collect some points, but first things first—we’re focused on this race.”

Delgado noted the barn has given Mythical a playful nickname inspired by the filly who captured the 2024 Oaks and, with seven career Grade 1 wins, went on to Horse of the Year honors. That kind of aspirational tag, for example, keeps spirits high on the shedrow.

“We call her the little Thorpedo Anna,” Delgado said. “We’ll see—she’s very talented, and she’s got a great mind, which in the end is what really counts.”

MyRacehorse, Thoroughbred Acquisition Group and Miller Racing’s Love Like Lucy is the lone entrant to have contested the prior two legs of the FSS filly series, finishing third to multiple stakes winner and English Group 2-placed Lennilu in the six-furlong Desert Vixen on Sept. 6 and then a clear second behind Mythical in the Susan’s Girl. Her Aug. 8 debut win came over two next-out winners—twice stakes-placed Vita Mia and William Law Jr. homebred Lady Chance, the Juvenile Fillies Sprint runner-up on Nov. 15—both examples of solid bloodstock benchmarks.

Bayou Brigid, owned by Sea Warrior Stables and trained by Heather Smullen, is entered for her first start on dirt after four turf appearances and one on Gulfstream’s Tapeta. She brings two-turn seasoning: a graduation on Aug. 8 going a mile and seventy yards on the synthetic, a sixth-place run in Saratoga’s 1 1/16-mile P.G. Johnson on Aug. 27, and a third in the one-mile Our Dear Peggy on Oct. 25 at Gulfstream. For instance, that variety of surfaces can sharpen versatility.

Rounding out the field are Mary Lightner-owned and trained Dare Greatly, fourth in the Susan’s Girl, and Robert Cotran’s maiden Win Bet Only. As a note, both continue to search for steps forward at this stage.

The My Dear Girl honors the Florida-bred mare crowned champion 2-year-old filly in 1959. Campaigned by future Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning owner Frances Genter, My Dear Girl later became a successful broodmare whose best runner was In Reality.