Five G Flashes High Speed in Gulfstream Park Oaks
Trainer George Weaver offered simple, clear advice to Manny Franco before the jockey’s first time aboard Gatsas Stables homebred Five G for the March 29 $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
“He just told me, ‘Ride her with confidence. She has tactical speed, If somebody wants to go and clear you, that’s fine, go around. If not, you can go ahead.’ And that’s what I did,” said Franco, who was needed to replace injured Tyler Gaffalione, victim of a broken ankle during the week.
Franco used Weaver’s input and decided to become a little aggressive with his filly in the clubhouse turn, where 6-5 favorite Five G made the lead. She then remained in front of five other 3-year-old fillies all the way to capture the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks by 2 1/4 lengths and earn 100 Kentucky Oaks (G1) points. She now holds 125 Kentucky Oaks points after a runner-up finish in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) last out.
Bell Racing’s Anna’s Promise finished second by 10 1/4 lengths and Cassiar was third to collect 50 and 25 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points, respectively.
Whatintheliteral (15) and Paradise City (10) also earned points by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Five G and Anna’s Promise, with rider Luis Saez, vied for the lead out of the gate, with second choice The Queens M G and Irad Ortiz Jr. also in the mix.
“I thought the 7 horse (Anna’s Promise) was the other horse that could clear me, but when I saw he didn’t do it and the 3 horse (The Queens M G) right there with me, I said, ‘I’m going to go,'” Franco said. “So that’s what I did in the first turn. After that, she was happy and comfortable.”
Five G proceeded to set fractions of :23.63, :47.11, and 1:11.19. She dueled Anna’s Promise in the far turn before edging clear in the lane.
The bay filly crossed the wire in 1:43.22 and paid $4.60 to win.
“I was pretty happy when they turned up the backside,” Weaver said. “She threw her ears up and was relaxed. I felt like she was going to run her race from there.”
Weaver admitted it had been “a hard decision” to decide whether to run in South Florida or ship to Keeneland for the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) April 4.
“We would have a legitimate chance to win in the Ashland, too,” Weaver said. “It’s a grade 1 and a lot more money. But thinking about the Kentucky Oaks, the placement of this race and being able to stay here and then go to Kentucky just for the Oaks, we just kind of liked that a little better.
“Back in the old days, we’d probably enter in the Ashland, too, and then the Oaks,” he added with a smile.
The Queens M G pulled up near the quarter pole with an apparent knee injury but walked onto a waiting horse van and was taken from the track. Ortiz was unhurt.
Bred in New York, Five G is a homebred 3-year-old daughter of Vekoma out of the Quality Road mare Triumphant . She is the lone winner from two foals to race out of her dam, who also as a yearling full sister to Five G.
Vekoma topped all first-crop sires in 2024 and is the clear leader among second-crop sires through the first three months of 2025. He stands for $35,000 at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky.
