by Garnet Barnsdale

There were a few notable performances at Harrah’s Philadelphia this Wednesday (May 31) as they raced six $20,000 divisions of the Stallion Series for three-year-old colts and geldings.

One performance caught the eye of a couple of my Facebook friends was that of Somebeachsomewhere gelding Deerfield Beach in race 7.

The homebred – out of the Allamerican Native mare Native Bride – is owned by driver Brian Sears (Sundance Stable of New Jersey) and his father, Jay Sears. Deerfield Beach had an inauspicious two-year old season, winning only once in six starts. That win was taken in non-winners of two company at Harrah’s Philly in his second start, a 1:54.4 score.

But after a slow start to his sophomore campaign in which Deerfield Beach failed to hit the board in his first three starts, he was shooting for his third straight win and fourth in his past five starts on Tuesday and he didn’t disappoint.

Leaving from post position 4, Deerfield Beach took an early tuck in fourth and settled into stride for driver David Miller to a :28 opening quarter. Just past that marker, Miller pulled the 1-9 favorite and encouraged him to make front by pacing a :27.2 second quarter. Deerfield Beach didn’t seek out a breather at that point as Miller let him rattle through a :27.1 third quarter and from there, there was only minimal early stretch urging needed as Deerfield Beach registered a new lifetime best clocking of 1:51.2. The new mark bettered his previous speed badge by more than a second.

Deerfield Beach is the second foal to race from $707,000 earner Native Bride, who was remarkably consistent as a race mare, winning 25 of 39 starts and finishing out of the money only five times in a four-year campaign. The first foal, Heavenly Bride has won seven times from 57 starts and she has earned more than $243,00 so far and the daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven is still racing as a five-year old.

While Deerfield Beach – who has now won five times in 14 starts and earned $52,000 — is not staked to the upcoming North America Cup, he is still eligible to dance some of the big dances, being staked to the Meadowlands Pace and Breeders Crown. There’s a good chance the blooming sophomore pacing gelding may create a buzz of his own sometime this summer or fall.