South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Conditions subdue Audible
Overwhelming favorite can’t handle rain, ends up 2nd in Harlan’s Holiday
HALLANDALE BEACH — Horse players got a lesson in why they run the races Saturday at Gulfstream.
Audible was such an overwhelming favorite in the Harlan’s Holiday that his true odds were too low to display on the tote board, which can only go down to 1-9. The Florida Derby champion went to the post 1-10 in what was widely viewed as a public workout with a $100,000 purse, a warmup for the $9 million Pegasus on Jan. 26.
But “sure things” don’t always win, especially when Mother Nature intervenes. The Grade 3 stakes went off in a driving rainstorm. The downpour created a drenched, uneven surface jockey Javier Castellano said Audible didn’t like and never handled. The best he could do was a close second to 25-1 longshot Sir Anthony.
“It was not an easy track,” Castellano said. “I think it cost me the race.”
Sensing Audible’s discomfort Castellano took Audible in and out around the turn and down the backstretch of the mile and a sixteenth race then swung wide turning for home, hoping to find a place where his colt, who had only one horse beaten through the early stages, would take hold and show his best.
Meanwhile Brian Hernandez saved ground with Sir Anthony then shot up the rail turning for home while Castellano took the overland route, going five wide. In mid-stretch, it still appeared Audible would get up but Sir Anthony, who was winning his fourth race in a row, dug in. The final margin, a half-length, was considerably less than the ground lost by Audible.
Audible’s defeat is just a hiccup en route to bigger things but for Sir Anthony’s trainer, Anthony Mitchell, it was a career highlight. “Beating the likes of Audible, that’s huge. I can’t put words to that.”
The new $7 million Pegasus Turf picked up at least one starter from the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale. It was like old-timers day as Hall of Fame rider Edgar Prado, 51, blasted Glorious Empire, who will be 8 in a couple of weeks, to the front and led a dozen rivals on a merry chase for a mile and an eighth.
“This horse loves to be on the lead,” said Prado, who picked up the mount from the vacationing Julien Leparoux. “I was able to take a nice easy lead and to try to slow it down to have something left at the end. That’s exactly what happened. He was moving easy all the way. When I asked him he gave me a really good kick.”
Hi Happy raced in closest attendance but never drew alongside to seriously challenge and was overtaken late for the place by Qurbaan, who was 2 1⁄ lengths off
2 the winner. Glorious Empire, a Grade 1 winner last summer at Saratoga, finished the 9 furlongs in 1:48.44.
Winning trainer James Lawrence said owner Matthew Schera will make the final call on putting up the $500,000 ante for the Pegasus but he is confident this will happen.
Three other Grade 3 stakes were run. Tequilita came from off the pace under Luis Saez to take the 1-mile Rampart. Joel Rosario rallied Capla Temptress past La Moneda in the final strides to capture the My Charmer, a mile on the turf. Castellano had better luck with the favored Dream Paulinein the 6-furlong Sugar Swirl. He took her to the lead on the turn then held off hard-charging Stormy Embrace.