Jackson Bend returned to South Florida on Saturday and used a combination of his grit and John Velazquez’s riding skills to win the $100,000 Hal’s Hope Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

“[Jackson Bend] has the heart of a lion,” said his trainer, Nick Zito. “He showed how we will find a way through a hole.”

Jackson Bend did that and more on Saturday as he beat Sangaree by a length in the one mile dirt stakes for 4-year-olds and up.

It was the seventh stakes win for Jackson Bend, a 5-year-old who is smaller than most of his rivals. His first four stakes wins were at Calder Casino & Race Course in 2009. In the Hal’s Hope, Jackson Bend bobbled coming out of the gate. But Velazquez righted him, and on the backstretch they were in seventh place in the eight-horse field.

Jackson Bend, the 4-5 favorite, was fifth and apparently trapped behind horses mid-way on the turn.

“I didn’t know if I should go inside or outside,” said Velazquez, a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award as the country’s top jockey. “I thought outside would be the easier way, and I took it.”

Velazquez swung Jackson Bend five-wide. He began passing horses and took the lead about 100 yards out.

Sangaree rallied from last after a half mile but was not gaining on Jackson Bend at the finish. The time of 1:38.19 was relatively slow for a stakes, but came on a day when Gulfstream’s track did not produce fast times.

Cool Blue Red Hot finished in third and was followed by the 5-2 second choice Soaring Empire.

Jackson Bend spent most of 2010 in races longer than a mile, including the Preakness Stakes where he finished third.

“He always tries his heart out, but those races took a lot out of him,” Zito said.

Last summer, the Hall of Fame trainer decided to keep Jackson Bend in races of a mile or less around one turn. He won a pair of seven-furlong stakes, including the Forego (Grade 1), at Saratoga Race Course. He closed his season in third in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Grade 1) at Churchill Downs.

Zito likes to give Jackson Bend several weeks between races and said he will probably run him just once more at the Gulfstream meet that will end on April 8. One possible target is the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (Grade 2) at one mile on March 10.

Jackson Bend was owned by Fred Brei and trained by Stanley Gold in 2009. Late that year Brei sold a majority stake to Robert LaPenta, who uses Zito as trainer for almost all of his horses.

• On Sunday, Gulfstream will have the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint at five furlongs for 4-year-olds and up. Great Attack and Little Nick head a seven-horse field.

Gulfstream will have racing on Monday, Martin Luther King Day, with 10 races and first post time of 12:35 p.m. As part of a holiday week schedule change, it will not have racing on Wednesday Jan. 18.