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Six set for Sugar Swirl; Liam's Map makes stakes debut in
Harlan's Holiday
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| R Free Roll posted a
front-running win over a sloppy track in the Honorable Miss two
back
(Adam Coglianese Photography) |
After finishing a neck second 12 months ago, R Free Roll will look to finish
one spot better in the Grade 3
Sugar
Swirl at Gulfstream Park. The Kirk Ziadie-trained filly heads a field of six
in the six-furlong sprint, one of four $100,0000 stakes races on Saturday's card
at Gulfstream Park.
R Free Roll captured the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga two starts back
and will be making her first outing since a fifth in the Thoroughbred Club of
America at Keeneland. Her rivals include Merry Meadow, who exits a convincing
tally in the November 1 Sky Beauty at Gulfstream Park West; multiple stakes
queen Ol Donyo; and Grade 3 heroine Wildcat Lily.
Later on the program, Liam's Map will make his highly-anticipated stakes
debut in the
Harlan's Holiday. The three-year-old son of Unbridled's Song exits a pair of
romping wins, breaking his maiden by 9 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park on September
26 before capturing an entry-level allowance by 11 lengths at Aqueduct on
November 16.
"I think it's time," 11-time defending Gulfstream meet leader Todd Pletcher
said of the stakes bow. "We've compared him a little bit in our minds to a horse
like Graydar and Cross Traffic; same sire, same color, same talent. We kind of
did the same thing with them and made the jump right from preliminary allowance
conditions into the bigger races. We feel like he's worthy."
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Liam's Map earned a field-best, last-out BRIS Speed rating of 105. The gray
colt will break from post 8 among nine rivals with regular rider John Velazquez.
"He trains like a pretty serious horse and his two wins have been visually
very impressive," Pletcher said. "I'm looking forward to stretching him
out and seeing how that goes. This will be his first time around two turns, but
he's run pretty fast."
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| Liam's Map drew comparisons
to Cross Traffic and Graydar from Pletcher
(Adam Coglianese Photography) |
The Kentucky-bred will be up against seasoned graded stakes winners in Csaba,
Pants On Fire and Valid in the Harlan's Holiday.
Multiple Grade 3 winner Csaba won the Harlan's Holiday in 2012 and was second
last year. The five-year-old son of Kitten's Joy has won 13 of 35 lifetime
starts and earned nearly $700,000 in purses, but enters off a sixth-place finish
in the Eight Miles West Stakes at Gulfstream Park West on October 11. Luis Saez
regains the mount.
"Csaba is coming into the race in excellent shape," trainer Phil Gleaves
said. "His last start he had a severe case of thumps, basically an electrolyte
imbalance specific to calcium. Of course, that's why he didn't run up to par.
Since then he's been training very well and I'm looking forward to running him."
Pants On Fire recorded a pair of graded wins in 2013 for trainer Kelly Breen,
and has been in the money in all five starts this year, including a third most
recently in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
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Valid enters the Harlan's Holiday on a two-race win streak for trainer Marcus
Vitali, including a half-length victory in the Eight Miles West. The
Virginia-bred Medaglia d'Oro gelding has won five of nine starts this year,
including the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup at 1 1/16 miles in July at Monmouth Park.
Regular rider Orlando Bocachica will be aboard from post 7.
"He's in great form," Vitali said. "I couldn't ask him to be doing any
better. He's eating good, he's doing good, he's got a lot of flesh on him. He's
training like a monster. I'm thrilled with what I see. He had a couple of minor
issues that we addressed. I don't know if that's it, but I think with age he's
gotten better."
In the El
Prado, Grade 3 winner scorer Howe Great returns to action versus 10 foes at
7 1/2 furlongs on turf. A three-time winner over the course, the five-year-old
will make his first start for new trainer Thomas Bush. Other serious contenders
include Bad Debt, Excaper and Mshawish.
The
South Beach concludes the stakes action and the 7 1/2-furlong turf affair
drew a full field of 14 fillies and mares, including a main-track only runner.
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