Jackpot Farm’s undefeated True Temper will be in search of his first stakes victory when he faces 10 rivals in Saturday’s 24th running of the $125,000 Holiday Cheer Stakes at Turfway Park.
Run at six furlongs for three-year-olds and older, the Holiday Cheer will go as the featured seventh race at 8:55 p.m. (ET). First post is 5:55 p.m. Saturday will be the closing day of the Holiday Meet and will offer mandatory payouts in all wagers.
Trained by Mark Casse, True Temper has a perfect record from three starts with all his wins coming on the synthetic surface at Woodbine. The three-year-old son of Maclean’s Music, who will be making his stakes debut, debuted in late April where he comfortably defeated six rivals by a widening 1¾ lengths in a maiden special weight contest. After nearly six months on the sidelines, True Temper returned in a first-level allowance contest and gamely defeated City Fever, who won his next start at Laurel Park. Earlier this month, True Temper won his third start in a conditioned allowance contest while earning a solid 90 Brisnet Speed Rating. The Minshall Farms Ontario-bred will be ridden by leading jockey Luan Machado out of post No. 6.
While True Temper is unbeaten, he is set to face several other well-seasoned runners, including Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s recent local allowance winner Condemn. Trained by Tommy Drury, Condemn was an easy victor on Dec. 2 in a 6½-furlong second-level allowance contest. The homebred four-year-old Medaglia d’Oro colt will be ridden by Joe Ramos from post 7.
Another last-race allowance winner in the Holiday Cheer is OXO Equine’s seven-year-old Indiana-bred Fortin Hill. Conditioned by Paulo Lobo, the son of Mucho Macho Man made a late surge to get by O Besos is in the final strides to win an Oct. 28 allowance contest at Keeneland. The six-time winner will have jockey Gerardo Corrales in the saddle and break from post 9.
Following is the complete field for the Holiday Cheer from the rail out (with jockey, trainer):
1. Heaven Street (Axel Concepcion, Mike Maker)
2. Dhabab (IRE) (Tyler Conner, Ed Vaughan)
3. Manny Wah (Abel Cedillo, Will Walden)
4. Startdfromdabottom (Adam Beschizza, John Ennis)
5. My Buddy B (Charlie Oliveros, Paulo Lobo)
6. True Temper (Luan Machado, Mark Casse)
7. Condemn (Joe Ramos, Tommy Drury)
8. Let My People Go (Martin Garcia, Vicki Oliver)
9. Fortin Hill (Gerardo Corrales, Paulo Lobo)
10. Night Time (Fernando De La Cruz, Bill Morey)
11. Olazabal (Walter Rodriguez, Eric Foster).
~ edited press release
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