Moon Spun Wires Gulfstream Ladies' Turf Sprint as Castellano Caps Fourth Win

Moon Spun surged to the lead out of the gate and never relinquished control, posting a decisive wire-to-wire victory in Gulfstream Park's $125,000 Ladies' Turf Sprint at five furlongs on firm turf. Ridden by Javier Castellano, the 5-year-old Hard Spun mare completed the dash in 55.51 seconds and was credited with a 3 1/4-length score in most charts; one account reported the margin as three lengths. The result capped a banner day for Castellano, who also collected three other wins at the Hallandale Beach track.

Trained by Brian A. Lynch and owned by Town and Country Racing LLC, Moon Spun collected a winner's share shown on the chart as $75,175 and improved to four consecutive victories, including a stakes triumph in Gulfstream's Abundantia Stakes on Dec. 27. That earlier prep featured a duel with Etrurian and a determined neck victory over Haulin Ice, a race in which Lynch noted the filly had been a little keyed up before the post. Lynch praised his mare's development, saying, “She’s tough to do anything with, really. Like they say, ‘If they don’t fight with you, they won’t fight for you.’ And she’ll fight with you.” He also reflected on the meet's run, saying, “We’re very lucky. We brought the right horses down here this year. If you told me at this stage we’d have won eight stakes by now I’d have said that’s wishful thinking, but it’s been fun watching it all happen. The crew has been working hard, the horses have been running good and riders have been super. I’m not looking forward to the meet ending.” Lynch added that Moon Spun “seems to be on a little roll of her own” and that she has “matured a lot. She’s a big, strong filly now.”

Le Amazonia finished second under Junior Alvarado for trainer Victor Barboza Jr., earning the $24,250 place share on the BloodHorse chart. Flamingo Way placed third, with Twirling Queen another length back in fourth. Twirling Queen arrives with a rich résumé, carrying career earnings of $627,076 from 17 starts with seven wins, including multiple stakes victories on Gulfstream turf. Choose Joy, a veteran owned and trained by Steve Dwoskin, returned from a layoff in the field after recent starts on Tapeta and in the Abundantia.

Bred in Kentucky by Jack Liebau Sr., Moon Spun was a $80,000 yearling purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton sale and is out of Moonlit Bay, a Malibu Moon mare. Her pedigree ties her to an immediate family that includes Grade 1 winners Tappan Street, Grace Adler and Bullsbay. The result also adds to the resume of sire Hard Spun; Moon Spun was cited as the second stakes winner of the year for Hard Spun, joining Kupuna, and Hard Spun was represented by 21 stakes horses in 2025. The stallion is listed to stand the 2026 season at Jonabell Farm for $20,000, “stands and nurses.”

Moon Spun’s dominance in these five-furlong turf dashes positions her for a shot at Gulfstream’s Captiva Island on March 14, a race Lynch indicated is the logical next step as he pursues a sweep of the older fillies and mares turf sprint series. Given her fast gate, proven stamina for the strip and rising form, Moon Spun has become a horse to follow as the Gulfstream spring stakes calendar unfolds.