Oh, some of the other prep races have had their credentials. The Sham Stakes (gr. III) yielded an exciting finish, and the victorious Out of Bounds looks like a serious Triple Crown contender. The LeComte Stakes (gr. III) could turn out a number of fine three-year-olds. The Count Fleet Stakes and Smarty Jones Stakes each had their share of promising runners as well.
But none of those races can match the caliber of horses that this afternoon's Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) has drawn, because the Holy Bull drew Hansen, the 2011 Eclipse champion two-year-old male.
Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III)
One Mile on the Gulfstream Park Dirt Track
Here are the entries:
| PP | Horse | Jockey |
| 1 | Silver Max | Julien Leparoux |
| 2 | Consortium | John Velazquez |
| 3 | My Adonis | Elvis Trujillo |
| 4 | Hansen | Ramon Dominguez |
| 5 | Fort Loudon | Rajiv Maragh |
| 6 | Algorithms | Javier Castellano |
Obviously, all eyes are going to be on Hansen. The son of Tapit was named champion last year off of three victories in three starts, including an impressive nose victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). What was especially impressive about that race was not that he held off race favorite Union Rags in game fashion, but that he did so after setting all the pace over a track that had been favoring closers. This will be his first start since then, so if anyone is going to beat him this could be the time -- coming off a layoff -- but on the other hand, he has been training very well for this race and it's only a one-turn mile, which he should enjoy.
If Hansen is a bit short in his first start of the year, then there are a number of other colts here that could pull off an upset. Algorithms, a son of Bernardini trained by Todd Pletcher, is one of those colts. Undefeated in two starts, he broke his maiden going five furlongs in June at Belmont Park, then returned over six months later to win a 6-1/2 furlong allowance optional claiming race in solid fashion. While he will be making his first start in a non-sprint race, he is bred to be a router and should greatly enjoy the stretch out in distance.
Consortium should also be a major contender. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and owned by Godolphin Racing, he -- like Algorithms -- is promising young son of Bernardini. This colt broke his maiden going 6-1/2 furlongs in November at Aqueduct, closing from several lengths off the pace to win by 4 3/4 lengths. This performance earned him the status of odds-on favorite in his next start, a 6-1/2 furlong allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park, but after striking the front in the stretch, he was worn down late by fellow Holy Bull contender Algorithms. However, in that race, he found himself dueling for the early lead, whereas in his debut race he came from off the pace. If Consortium returns to his off-the-pace style of running, he could be a serious threat for the win -- especially considering that he will be racing on Lasix for the first time today.
The other runners would be more surprising if they were to win. Silver Max looked good last time out breaking his maiden by 3 1/4 going a mile, but that was on the turf, and he lost his first five starts. He'll have to translate his turf form to dirt today, which could be a bit of a task against a field of this caliber. Trained by Dale Romans, he'll probably be close to the lead in the early stages of the race, but I doubt that he can outrun Hansen to the lead.
Fort Loudon is the most heavily raced colt in this field, having made eight starts as a juvenile. After losing his first three starts, he put together an impressive four-race winning streak that culminated with a victory in the $300,000 Florida Stallion In Reality Stakes, which gave the colt a sweep of the Florida Stallion Series. His next start came in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Churchill Downs, a huge step up in class. Despite this, and a bit of a tough trip, Fort Loudon managed to finish a decent seventh, beaten nine lengths by victorious Hansen, but only three lengths for fourth place. While he is undoubtedly capable of picking up a piece of the trifecta from just off of the pace, he'll have to show some improvement if he is to be a contender for the win.
The longest shot in the field is My Adonis, who broke his maiden fourth time out at Monmouth Park going a mile and seventy yards over a sloppy track. The son of Pleasantly Perfect then backed up that win with a 5 1/4-length victory in the $200,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs, the local prep race for the $1,000,000 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (gr. III). However, in the big event itself, he got involved in a blazing speed duel up front, which caused him to tire badly and finish ninth. Unfortunately, the front-running colt may meet a similar pace today if he tries to beat Hansen to the lead, so a new racing strategy -- off the pace -- may be in order today.
As this race is part of the Triple Crown Handicapping Contest between J.R. and I, here are our selections:
Keelerman:
1 Hansen
2 Consortium
3 Algorithms
4 Fort Loudon
J.R.
1 Consortium
2 Hansen
3 Algorithms
4 Fort Loudon
Other Races of Note
There's not much else going on across the country in the way of stakes races for three-year-olds; the majority of the following races of note will be allowance and maiden special weight events. However, there is one other notable stakes event for sophomores, that being the $200,000 Forward Gal Stakes (gr. II) for fillies on the undercard of the Holy Bull.
The race has drawn a field of six, led by Broadway's Alibi and Sacristy. The first-mentioned filly, trained by Todd Pletcher, broke her maiden second time out by seven lengths at Delawar Park before returning to take a 6-1/2 furlong allowance race at Gulsftream Park by five lengths. She'll only be racing another sixteenth of a mile further here in the Forward Gal and should get a good trip under jockey John Velazquez.
One thing that Broadway's Alibi does not have is stakes experience -- something that Sacristy does have. After breaking her maiden by nearly seven lengths in her third start, the daughter of Pulpit returned to take the $100,000 Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) by 1 3/4 lengths. An off-the-pace runner, she'll be at her best if the early pace is quick and should be coming hard in deep stretch.
As for the others, Say a Novena finished second to Sacristy in the Old Hat and second to Millionreasonswhy in the Matron Stakes (gr. II), stamping herself as a quality filly in the process. Good Deed has won three straight, including the Letellier Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds, but is taking a step up in class. Quick Flip won her first three starts, including Tampa's Sandpiper Stakes, but could only manage a fourth-place finish in the Old Hat. Yara has won two of her four starts, but has never raced at a track other than Calder and would be a bit of a surprise.
There are a number of other intriguing races on the Holy Bull undercard, led by a one-mile and sixteenth allowance optional claiming event. The race has drawn such a quality field that it could practically be considered a stakes event. Part of the reason why it has drawn such a high-caliber set of horses is the fact that it is a two-turn event, whereas the Holy Bull is run around one-turn. Some trainers feel their horses would be better suited to two turns than one, and thus, prefer to enter their colts in a two-turn allowance race to prepare them for future stakes engagements than attempt to win a graded stakes race under circumstances that might not suit their horses.
So that is why this allowance race has drawn three promising stakes-placed runners: Take Charge Indy, El Padrino, and Casual Trick. Take Charge Indy, a son of A.P. Indy to be ridden by Calvin Borel, finished second in the Arlington-Washinton Futurity (gr. III) as a juvenile, as well coming home fourth in the Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). An off-the-pace type runner, Take Charge Indy may be up against it trying to close over the speed-favoring Gulfstream main track, but as long as he's coming on strongly late, this race should set him up well for future races as he marches toward the Kentucky Derby.
El Padrino, trained by Todd Pletcher, broke his maiden by nearly thirteen lengths second time out at Aqueduct, and subsequently finished a closing third in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) despite a slow early pace. Like Take Charge Indy, he'll probably lag toward the back of the pack early on, although he probably has enough early speed to sit within a few lengths of the lead if necessary.
Casual Trick, the 5-2 morning line favorite, is the only one of the three stakes-proven colts to have proven himself over the Gulfstream main track. After breaking his maiden over next-out winner Chalybeate Springs, Casual Trick returned to be beaten only a half-length in the Gulfstream Park Derby following a long, hard stretch duel. Unlike Take Charge Indy and El Padrino, this colt has some early speed and should be close to the front in the early stages of this race. He may be trainer Nick Zito's best shot at getting to the Kentucky Derby this year.
Another interesting facet of this race is that we may get a feel for just how talented Todd Pletcher's promising youngster Discreet Dancer may be. On January 7th, Discreet Dancer dominated a one-mile allowance optional claiming event here at Gulfstream Park by five lengths. Far behind him in fifth and seventh, respectively, were A Boy Named Em and In the Beat. Those two colts are entered in today's allowance race, and if either of them should win, or even run well, it would seriously flatter Discreet Dancer and stamp him as one of the truly major contenders for the Kentucky Derby.
There are many other intriguing colts in this race -- too many to thoroughly discuss each one -- but I shall take a moment to briefly mention Big Screen, a son of Speightstown that broke his maiden by a head going nine furlongs at Gulfstream on the final day of 2011. He'll have to step up to beat these colts, but he looks like a promising enough colt.
Moving on, there are a pair of maiden special weights on the Holy Bull undercard that bear watching. The first one is a 6-1/2 furlong event for three-year-olds of either gender, although the race has drawn only colts. It is the fifth race on the card. Eleven have been entered, and nine of them are first-time starters. Nick Zito trains a pair of them, as does Todd Pletcher. I don't have any opinion on who will win, but I will be watching this race closely and if one of them draws away to dominate, I will be adding him to my watch list.
The fillies race is a one-mile turf event, and Coup looks like the best horse in the race to me. The Graham Motion-trainee finished second, beaten a half-length, in a similar event to this one on December 30th at Gulfstream, and seeing how good Motion is with turf horses, I feel Coup is going to be very tough to beat today. Spinning Wildcat and Prissy should also be contenders.
Moving on to Oaklawn Park, the eighth race on the card is a six-furlong allowance optional claiming race for three-year-olds. Mr Bluegrass Music, unraced since finishing eleventh in the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes, is the morning line favorite. It's possible that the one-mile distance was the reason why Mr Bluegrass Music ran so poorly, for his performances in sprint races have been very good. He looks like a solid favorite in this spot, although Pryce's Posse, Meadow's Reward, and Bunker's Ledge all look capable of pulling off a mild upset.
The last race I shall mention is the seventh at Santa Anita, a seven-furlong main track maiden special weight featuring a pair of Bob Baffert-trained youngsters named Stirred Up and Brannaman. The former colt is unraced, while the latter has finished sixth and fourth in his two starts to date. Of the pair, I like Stirred Up best, seeing that he has been training exceptionally well for his debut and will have Martin Garcia in the saddle.
One other colt I would like to mention is Mank, a John Shirreffs-trainee that finished tenth in his only start to date, sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita. But he's bred to be a a dirt router -- not a turf sprinter, so I will be interested to see how he performs today.
Enjoy the races, everyone!
-Keelerman
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