Grand Sonata Ends 10-Race Drought, Rallies Under Tyler Gaffalione to G2 Win

Grand Sonata, a 7-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro, rallied late under Tyler Gaffalione to capture the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park, ending a 10-race drought that had stretched across his most recent starts. The victory on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, marked his first triumph in an 11-start span and supplied the veteran with a high-profile graded stakes score.

The rally came in a 1 3/8-mile turf test run on firm footing, where Grand Sonata closed from off the pace to take the $225,000 Mac Diarmida. Reports describe him as having been "winless in his previous 10 races" before the effort, and the stretch bid under Gaffalione delivered the breakthrough that had eluded the 7-year-old through a long string of placings or misses.

Whisper Hill Farm bred and owns Grand Sonata, the homebred now returning to the winner’s circle at the graded-stakes level. At age seven, the son of Medaglia d’Oro adding a Grade 2 trophy reshapes how his résumé reads; a horse that had been without a win in 10 starts now has a major win to his credit, and the homebred tag keeps that victory squarely with Whisper Hill Farm.

The Mac Diarmida was contested at 1 3/8 miles on firm turf for a $225,000 purse, providing a stamina test that rewarded late acceleration. Tyler Gaffalione’s timing on the run to the wire was the decisive factor in the outcome; accounts of the race emphasize that Grand Sonata "rallied late" to secure the score rather than leading from the start.

Certain routine details were not available in the reports provided: the official final time for the 1 3/8-mile race, the margin of victory, the trainer’s name, the runners-up and full order of finish, and mutuel payouts. Those items will appear on the official chart and race release; until then the confirmed facts are the horse, age, sire, jockey, track, distance, going, purse, and the end to his 10-race winless run.

For now, Grand Sonata leaves Gulfstream Park with a Grade 2 victory and the headline outcome his connections lacked across a long stretch without a win. The Mac Diarmida score on Feb. 28, 2026, is a tangible reset on his record and a notable payday in a $225,000 event for a 7-year-old turf specialist.