WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.’s Prime Factor and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Amount are scheduled to bring a combined total of two races of experience into Saturday’s $200,000 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Jumping from maiden special weight company into a graded-stakes may be a lot to ask of lightly raced 3-year-olds, but their trainer, Todd Pletcher, has a history of success with late-developing colts during the winter months at Gulfstream.
The 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull, the first graded stakes for 3-year-olds on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n Dale at Xalapa Farm, will headline a 12-race program with five graded stakes worth $600,000 in purses.
“It’s kind of that time of year where you have to see where you are,” Pletcher said.
Prime Factor debuted at Gulfstream Dec. 12 with a stunning 8 ¼-length victory, running six furlongs in 1:10.38 while drawing away powerfully after closely stalking the early pace.
“He was brilliant in his debut and has trained sharply since then. We kind of considered going into an allowance race but that never materialized,” said Pletcher, who has saddled the two winners of the Holy Bull, Algorithms (2012) and Audible (2018). “It’s always a big step to go from maiden race against winners, giving up experience, but he can hopefully overcome it.”
From a Canadian aspect, PRIME FACTOR is a great grandson of the great mare CLASSY ‘N SMART, dam of DANCE SMARTLY. Prime Factor’s dam HAYLIE BRAE is out of dance Swiftly who is also the dam of exciting young stallion Speightster.
Defending two-time Championship Meet titlist Irad Ortiz Jr. has the return mount on the son of Quality Road, who was purchased for $900,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale.
Amount overcame bumping at the starts of his Dec. 26 debut, rallying from off the pace to score by 5 ¾ lengths, completing seven furlongs in 1:24.68 under Ortiz Jr.
“His debut was very professional. Again, we were limited in options,” said Pletcher, who has saddled five Florida Derby winners. “I think, ultimately, he’s a horse that will appreciate more distance,”
Luis Saez has the call aboard the son of Curlin, who was purchased at the 2020 OPS July 2-year-olds-in-training sale for $110,000.
Courtlandt Farms’ Greatest Honour brings four-race experience into the Holy Bull. The Shug McGaughey-trained son of Tapit finished a late-closing third in his first two starts at sprint distances before showing marked improvement when stretching out around two turns in his two most recent starts. He was beaten by a neck while finishing second behind Known Agenda at Aqueduct at 1 1/8 miles, before graduating Dec. 26 at Gulfstream. He overcame bumping at the start and some traffic on the first turn before closing to graduate by 1 ½ lengths.
The homebred colt schooled in the paddock and walking ring during the second race at Gulfstream Wednesday.
“I’m very pleased with what I saw today, very pleased. He’s developed a lot,” McGaughey said. “I was just sitting there thinking if, through the winter and spring, he keeps going in that direction, he’ll be good.”
Jose Ortiz has the mount aboard Greatest Honour.
Albaugh Family Stables LLC’s Sittin On Go, who launched his career with a debut victory and an impressive score in the Iroquois (G3), will seek to improve on off-the-board finishes in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.
“He’s ready for another big race,” trainer Dale Romans said. “He’s sitting on go. He’s had two good works. He’s ready. If he’s good enough, he’ll run big.”
Corey Lanerie has the mount aboard the son of Brody’s Cause.
Tarantino, who is a nose short of being undefeated in his three starts on turf, is slated to make his dirt debut in the Holy Bull. The son of Pioneerof the Nile broke his maiden at Del Mar before finishing second by a nose in the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert. After being transferred to trainer Rodolphe Brissett, he captured a mile optional claiming allowance Dec. 11 at Gulfstream Park.
Edgard Zayas has the return call aboard Tarantino, who is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and partners.
Robert B. Lewis Stakes – Santa Anita
Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. To be contested at a mile and one sixteenth over Santa Anita’s main track, the Lewis is a key prep to the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Originally titled the Santa Catalina, the Lewis will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday.
Named in honor of the prominent late owner and philanthropist Robert B. Lewis, who along with his wife Beverly, owned two Kentucky Derby winners, Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic in 1999, the Lewis winner will receive 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The second place finisher will receive four, third place nets two points and the fourth place finisher will get one point.
Spielberg comes off a gutty nose victory at the same distance in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19, which was his sixth career start. The win no doubt took on added luster when the runner-up, Doug O’Neill’s The Great One, came back to demolish a field of maidens by 14 lengths this past Saturday.
Purchased for $1 million as a Keeneland September Yearling, Spielberg, a chestnut colt by Union Rags, out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, has been favored in four of his six starts and he’ll be making his fifth graded stakes appearance. Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, Spielberg will be ridden back by Flavien Prat and be trying to provide Baffert with his third consecutive Lewis win and his record ninth overall.
A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit far outran his 9-1 odds in finishing a fast closing second, beaten three quarters of a length by his highly regarded stablemate Life Is Good in the Grade I Sham Stakes going one mile on Jan. 2. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit, Florida-bred colt by the Giant’s Causeway stallion Protonico, was purchased for a modest $35,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company July Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, 2020.
Second the entire trip in the Sham, Medina Spirit hit his best stride late and earned a lofty 99 Beyer Speed figure in the process. He’ll be ridden back by Abel Cedillo, who comes of a fabulous three-day week at Santa Anita in which he posted nine wins.
Dismissed at 94-1, Doug O’Neill’s Hot Rod Charlie made the lead a furlong from home and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, earning a 94 Beyer. A one mile maiden winner here two starts back on Oct. 2, this colt by Oxbow is vastly improved, has been training impressively and will get the first time services of Joel Rosario. Owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC and Strauss Bros Racing, Hot Rod Charlie closed much ground at Keeneland and will hope to be rolling late with plenty of pace to exploit in the Lewis.
A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, C R K Stable’s Parnelli could likely pose significant trouble for anyone with front-running aspirations. A galloping 5 ¾ one mile maiden winner two starts back at Del Mar Nov. 28, this colt by Quality Road was a bit rank while under restraint early in the Sham on Jan. 2 and was never a factor thereafter. With a win, three seconds and a third, Parnelli, who is trained by John Shirreffs, will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli.
Owned by Reddam Racing, LLC and trained by Doug O’Neill, Wipe the Slate could also add plenty of fuel to the early pace fire, as he comes off an impressive 3 ¼ length maiden win going seven furlongs here on Dec. 26. A Kentucky-bred colt by Reddam’s 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Wipe the Slate looms a legitimate contender in his third start with Mario Gutierrez riding back.
THE GRADE III ROBERT B. LEWIS STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 7 of 8 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT
Medina Spirit–Abel Cedillo–120
Rombauer–Mike Smith–120
Parnelli–Umberto Rispoli–120
Hot Rod Charlie–Joel Rosario–20
Roman Centurian–Juan Hernandez–120
Waspirant–Ricardo Gonzalez–120
Wipe the Slate–Mario Gutierrez–120
Spielberg–Flavien Prat–124
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