Giuseppe the Great gets class relief

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Nick Zito will be the first to admit that he’s not shy about taking on the underdog role in major 3-yearold races, as he did this past season with Giuseppe the Great, who finished third as a 47-1 outsider in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and second at 14-1 and 30-1 in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Grade 2 Woody Stephens.

On Sunday, Zito will find himself on the other end of the spectrum with Giuseppe the Great, who will go postward as the odds-on favorite to defeat six seemingly overmatched rivals when trying allowance competition for the first time in his 3-year-old finale.

“You know me, I’m always willing to take a shot with a horse like Giuseppe. I love to be in the big races, and he’s given us an amazing season,” Zito said. “We start off here at the championship meet and run second to a horse who goes on to become a multiple graded stakes winner [Timeline], break our maiden at Keeneland, which is great, and then he really took us to the important races the way he kept performing.”

After finishing second behind American Anthem in the Woody Stephens and fourth to Practical Joke in the Grade 3 Dwyer, Giuseppe the Great took on a stellar field in the Jim Dandy and was second best behind Good Samaritan.

“We beat the [Kentucky] Derby winner [Always Dreaming] and the Preakness winner [Cloud Computing], and a horse who never ran on dirt before beats us in the Dandy,” Zito said. “It was disappointing but satisfying at the same time.”

His performance in the Jim Dandy earned Giuseppe the Great a spot in the Travers, where he finished sixth behind West Coast.

“He beat half his field and ran extremely well in the Travers, then ran a wonderful race in the Pennsylvania Derby, finishing third despite getting in some trouble avoiding the horse who broke down,” Zito said. “And if you take West Coast out of the equation, he’s really right there with the others in both of those races.”

Giuseppe the Great will enter Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile main event with $441,500 in earnings, which nearly equals the combined bankrolls of his six rivals.

“Now we’re back where we started here at Gulfstream, and hopefully this race will serve as a confidence booster, which he can use as a springboard to a big 4-year-old season,” Zito said. “Years ago, I had Fast Falcon, who earned a lot of money and was similar to him. He was competitive in the major races but seemed to run the same with better horses as he did against, let’s just say, inferior competition. I think Giuseppe is a better horse. I just hope he doesn’t fool me.”

Neolithic’s future uncertain

There will be five Grade 3 stakes on next Saturday’s card, but the one that figures to get the most attention is the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday, which is expected to serve as Gunnevera’s final prep for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has five of the 18 horses nominated to the Harlan’s Holiday, including Neolithic, who finished third in the inaugural Pegasus last January. Like Gunnevera, Neolithic’s connections had hoped to use the Harlan’s Holiday as a stepping-stone to the 2018 Pegasus, but those plans recently changed.

“We’ve decided to give Neolithic a freshening, with the hope of possibly bringing him back again next year, although we are entertaining offers for him as far as a breeding career is concerned,” said Jack Wolf, whose Starlight Racing owns Neolithic in partnership with Qatar Racing.

Pletcher’s other nominees for the Harlan’s Holiday are Destin, Tommy Macho, and the 3-year-olds You’re to Blame and Sonic Mule, both of whom worked last weekend at Palm Beach Downs.

Eight Town extends streak

Susan and Jim Hill’s up-and-coming 3-year-old sprinter Eight Town passed a major class test when turning back the older and vastly more experienced Abounding Legacy to capture Thursday’s main event for his third consecutive victory. Eight Town completed seven furlongs in 1:22.03 and earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He stepped up against a few older horses that have been solid hard knockers and won,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “He’s still learning. He did it the hard way today, on the lead the whole way, but I thought he boxed on gamely when he needed to.”

Lynch said he’d likely shop around for another allowance spot for Eight Town.

English classes offered

Classes to teach English to backstretch employees at the Palm Meadows training center got off to a strong start this week, with more than 40 grooms, hotwalkers, and exercise riders attending the initial session, according to Tom LaPointe, whose His Place Ministries helps oversee the program.

“We are bringing in teachers from the Palm Beach school system to help educate our people who work at Palm Meadows,” LaPointe said. “The program was spearheaded by trainer Carlo Vaccarezza and has been given financial support from both The Stronach Group and the Florida HBPA.”

The 12-week program offers classes twice a week in the trainers’ lounge at Palm Meadows.

“We had 82 employees sign up, and more than 40 showed up the first night, which I think is a great start,” said Vaccarezza. “I’m proud to have the support of Tim Ritvo and the entire Stronach Group as well as the HBPA and the chaplaincy in an effort to help make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.”

◗ Jockey Miguel Vasquez, with three victories, and Joe Catanese III, who posted a training double, were the stars of Thursday’s program, which also featured one winning ticket worth $98,309 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6.