Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Nice matchup in Holy Bull
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The two probable favorites for the Holy Bull Stakes were sent through their final pre-race drills last weekend for what shapes up as an interesting stepping-stone on the Kentucky Derby trail Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Tiz the Law, with regular rider Manny Franco in from New York, went a half-mile in a bullet 48 seconds at the Palm Meadows Training Center on Sunday, one morning after Caracaro went five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Gulfstream Park West.
Tiz the Law will be looking to rebound off a third-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in late November. A victory as the odds-on favorite in that Churchill Downs fixture would have kept the Constitution colt unbeaten in three starts and surely would have made him an Eclipse Award finalist in what has been a muddled division for months.
Caracaro came to the fore in back-to-back maiden races at Gulfstream. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the Uncle Mo colt was second in his December debut before earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in winning a one-mile race by six lengths on Jan. 11. Caracaro has been the subject of a possible private purchase by a high-profile owner in recent weeks, although the sale has been put on hold pending the Holy Bull results, according to a source familiar with the dealings.
The Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull is among the last designated preps worth 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Among the other 3-year-olds confirmed for the 1 1/16-mile race are Ete Indien, Mayberry Deputy, Toledo, and Uncork the Bottle, with perhaps a few more going. Subsequent Gulfstream preps are the Feb. 29 Fountain of Youth (85 points) and the March 28 Florida Derby (170 points).
Among the local 3-year-olds not quite ready for the longer distance of the Holy Bull is Untitled, who will run instead Saturday in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes. The Florida-bred colt got a 98 Beyer in winning a six-furlong maiden race in December in his only start, and was subsequently sold privately and turned over to trainer Mark Casse.
“I’ve liked him from the day we got him,” said Casse. “He’s a class act – big, tall, lanky, good-moving. He still has to develop some, his mind and everything, but he’s only run the one time, so there’s lots of upside.”
The Holy Bull and the $150,000 Swale are among five stakes, all for 3-year-olds, to be run on another busy Saturday at Gulfstream. The others are the filly counterpart to the Swale, the $150,000 Forward Gal, along with the $100,000 Dania Beach and $100,000 Sweetest Chant, both at a mile on turf. All but the ungraded Dania Beach are Grade 3 races.
Romans happy with Mr Freeze
Everybody would prefer to win, but Dale Romans was very happy with the way Mr Freeze ran when second in the Pegasus World Cup last Saturday.
Mr Freeze was on the muscle from the start, leading to the quarter pole under Luis Saez before being overtaken only by Mucho Gusto, the 4 1/2-length winner. The 5-year-old horse is owned by Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister.
“We’re extremely pleased and proud of him,” said Romans. “He’s showing he can run with these good horses at pretty much any distance. I don’t have any clue where we’ll go with him next, maybe one of the overseas races, I don’t know. Once all these emotions die down, we’ll sit down and talk it over.”
Meanwhile, Romans is on a set schedule with his top Derby prospect Dennis’ Moment, who will make his 3-year-old debut in the Fountain of Youth.
“We’ll work him every Saturday into the race,” he said. “He’s doing great.”
Winebaugh on the mend
Kenny Winebaugh, who in recent years has wintered at Gulfstream when helping to manage the stable of his wife, trainer Cheryl Winebaugh, has remained home in Chicago after suffering a stroke in late December.
Cheryl Winebaugh won nine races at the 2017-18 Gulfstream meet with her husband always close at hand. Trainer Patti Miller, a close friend of the Winebaughs, said Kenny, 56, has suffered partial paralysis on his left side and was scheduled to undergo further diagnosis Monday by specialists at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
While both Winebaughs are away, Joel Martinez is overseeing the stable at Gulfstream. Two horses, Bold Paynter and Beast Mode, have won at this meet in Cheryl’s name.
◗ Trainer Yvon Belsoeur has relocated to Ocala for the time being after losing much of his stable to an owner switch. Belsoeur sent out his most recent starter on Dec. 6 at Gulfstream, shortly after which his main client, Bruno Schickedanz, transferred most of his Belsoeur runners to Sandra Matier.
Belsoeur, who had his first victory in the U.S. in 2001, hit a career peak in 2018 by winning with 35 of 194 starters for stable earnings of nearly $800,000.