Csaba continues winning ways in Hal's Hope

Bruce Hollander and Cary Shapoff's Csaba used a sneaky rail move in the Grade

3, $100,000

Hal's

Hope to score his fourth straight stakes victory in Florida on Sunday. The

Kitten's Joy four-year-old began his current streak at Calder with a 14-length

romp in the Tropical Park Derby under jockey Luis Saez, and the pair remained an

unbeatable team to finish Sunday's one-mile contest over Gulfstream Park's fast

main track in 1:35 3/5.

It was a mad scramble for the lead when the gates opened, but once the dust

had settled Associate found himself on top but under intense pressure from Good

Morning Diva, Scatman and Pants on Fire. Csaba, meanwhile, was biding his time

in midpack through swift splits of :22 3/5, :44 3/5 and 1:09 1/5.

Associate began backing up on the rail rounding the turn, but Good Morning

Diva, Pants on Fire and Soldat were more than willing to take up the slack to

his outside. Csaba was making up ground but appeared to have left himself too

much to do when, suddenly, Saez angled his mount to the inside. The bay colt

slid forward to stick his neck in front on the wire and give his rider a fourth

win on the day.

"I tried to put my horse second or third," Saez explained his ride. "When we

came to the three-eighths (pole) I didn't think we'd win, but coming down the

stretch I saw a little hole on the inside and we went for it. When I asked him,

he gave me everything."

"My first impression was that I thought he was kind of

struggling down the backside," Gleaves said. "I thought he'd be laying close and

going easier, but the fractions were solid, obviously.

"I've got to give all the credit to Luis Saez. He's a brilliant

rider. He's going to do great in New York. He's one of the best riders in the

country."

Sent off the 9-5 favorite, Csaba paid $5.60, $3.40 and $2.80 to his faithful

supporters. Pool Play put in a game run down the center of the track and seemed

ready to pull out the upset at 11-1 but was forced to settle for second, another

neck in front of Pants on Fire. Soldat completed the top four a head farther

back while Good Morning Diva, Scatman, Associate and Delegation finished out the

order under the wire.

"His biggest problem is that he gets too far out of it early on

in these races, so to cut him back at a mile we were hoping to put a little more

speed into him before he runs in the (Grade 1) Donn Handicap (on February 9),

which is the ultimate goal," said Norm Casse, assistant trainer for Pool Play.

"It set up perfect for us, he wasn't sitting close, but he'll

show more speed next time going 1 1/8 (miles). The pace set up for him to make a

big run today, but the goal is to run well in the Donn Handicap and I think we

achieved what we needed to do today."

Cool Blue Red Hot and Swagger Jack were both withdrawn in favor of an

allowance on Thursday.

Csaba has always been a nice performer but seems to have put it all together

based on his last four races. The Phil Gleavens trainee entered the Tropical

Park Derby off a pair of unplaced efforts against stakes company in the

Northeast and easily drew off to dominate that nine-furlong test, which was

originally scheduled for the turf but moved to the good main track. He wired the

Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Handicap next out by 7 1/4 lengths, but was forced to

share the win with the dead-heating Ducduc.

Saez utilized another inside move with Csaba for the Harlan's Holiday last

out, and Sunday's score boosted the colt's career record to 17-8-1-3, $372,525.

"He's certainly bearing out now what we felt about him last year," Gleaves

said. "We wanted to go on the Derby trail last year and ran him in the (Grade 2)

Fountain of Youth trying to do that. It didn't pan out, but we've always thought

highly of him and he's showing it now."

Bred in Kentucky by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Csaba is the second registered

foal, and only stakes winner, out of the winning War Chant mare High Chant. His

second dam is Grade 3-placed stakes heroine Highfalutin, and this is the same

female family as multiple Grade 1 queen Very Subtle, who beat the boys in the

1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint, and Grade 1 diva Pool Land.

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