The extended dry weather in South Florida this winter is exactly what the connections of Patricia Generazio’s Grade 1-winning turf star Presious Passion have been hoping for as the 6-year-old gelding goes into Saturday’s $150,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (Grade 2) at Gulfstream Park.

Trainer Mary Hartmann says the son of Royal Anthem loves firm ground, and she’s warily watching the weather for any sign of rain even though the area has had only 32/100ths of an inch of precipitation this year. She points to the gelding’s runner-up finish in the Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita where rain dampened the usually firm Southern California course (it was rated ‘good’ that day).

“I’ll probably bring the rain again,” said Hartmann. “We’re very happy it’s dry. It was frustrating to get to Santa Anita. It was perfect for three days and the course looked great, and then the day of the race it rains. I’m sick of getting a wet track.”

Presious Passion ran into wet tracks a lot last year, running over good, yielding or sloppy ground eight times in his last 12 starts. On dry courses he has won the W.L. McKnight Handicap (Grade 2) twice at Calder and the Pan American (Grade 3) here.

The Florida-bred chestnut managed to win the United Nations (Grade 1) at Monmouth Park over a yielding course and ran well in his most recent start over ground with some give to it. Hartmann says there’s a reason her Florida-bred charge nearly escaped with a victory in the soggy Sunshine Millions Turf.

“They say it was harder on the backstretch and it was yielding on the front stretch,” she said. “I think that’s what cost us the race. If it had been as hard in the stretch they never would have caught him, but the squish in the track got us again.”

There is little chance ‘the squish’ becomes a factor Saturday. The National Weather Service says there is only a slight chance of showers Thursday.

“We’re very glad to be in Florida,” Hartmann said. “This weather suits him and he’s training super right now.”