East Hall runs down Wildcat Red in Millions Classic Preview

Saturday's $100,000

Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West was

supposed to be Wildcat Red's return to the winner's circle, but someone

obviously forgot to tell East Hall.

Wildcat Red and East Hall met up four times prior to Saturday, with the

former finishing in front on each occasion. East Hall finally turned the tables

on his rival by rallying three wide to take command in the Millions Classic

Preview lane and pulling off for a two-length victory under jockey Luis Saez.

The Graeme Hall gelding ran 1 1/16 miles on the fast dirt in 1:46 4/5 for owners

H. Jack Hendricks and Roger Justice.

"We got in a comfortable rhythm, and we followed the speed," Saez said, "and

when we got to the half-mile pole, I wasn't sure if I had a shot, because I saw

the horses in front going easily. (Wildcat Red) looked like he was in hand, but

when I asked (East Hall) at the three-eighths pole, he just responded. In the

stretch, I knew I was going to win the race."

East Hall has now captured three of his last four, adding Saturday's contest

to victories in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby and Ohio Derby. That latter race was

the three-year-old chestnut's first stakes win for trainer Bill Kaplan, though

he has placed in five other black-type events during his career.

"I think he's improved all the way through the year," Kaplan said. "He's had

a couple of bad races, mainly because of post position and being hung out and

getting in trouble. Every race he's been in the clear in the stretch, he runs

down anybody.

"This horse is in tremendous condition. It doesn't matter

where you put him, he'll run hard all day long," the horseman added. "The pace was fast

and he was hung out there, so (Saez) backed off on him and he was driving on him

from the three-eighths pole. The horse has a tremendous cardiovascular system.

He's a really nice horse."

East Hall improved his record to 5-3-4 from 19 career starts and has now

banked $723,305 lifetime.

"I don't know what's next. Anything's possible. He's that

kind of solid horse," Kaplan said. "Hopefully he'll stay sound and go on next

year and do something."

Trainer Jose Garoffalo was pleased with the performance of

Wildcat Red, who has now lost four straight races, three of them in graded

stakes, following the Quality Road.

"He ran his race," Garoffalo said. "He did it good. He did everything right;

the other horse ran a helluva race. I'm happy with the race. It was a good race.

The winner is a good horse; he's been improving."

Kicking off Millions Preview Day was Swinger's Party, who added a first

stakes win to her resume when taking the $100,000

Millions Distaff Preview by

three parts of a length under jockey Edgard Zayas. The Medaglia d'Oro miss led

by a comfortable margin into the stretch before having to fend off the rallying

Flutterby in the final yards.

Trained by Marty Wolfson for Miller Racing LLC, the four-year-old filly ran a

mile on the main track in 1:40 2/5 after stablemate and 7-5 favorite Devil's Cave took the field through an opening quarter-mile in

:23 3/5 before fading late to be fifth on the wire. That Grade 3 winner was

making her first start since finishing third in the Grade 1 La Troienne on May

2.

"Devil's Cave needed the race. She hadn't run for a long time," Wolfson said.

"I'm not happy the way she had to go :47 and :23. I thought they'd go a little

slower; that always takes a toll. She's one of my favorite horses."

"We had planned to stalk the pace and led the speed go out of there," Zayas said.

"We had hoped Devil's Cave would get an easy lead but it

wasn't like that. (Puddifoot) kept fighting her, so it set up to be perfect for

Swinger's Party. Once she got to the lead she was kind of waiting for horses,

but I took her out a little bit to let her look for horses and she kept on

going. She finished up strong."

Swinger's Party was making just her third start of the year in Saturday's

contest, having begun the season with a runner-up effort in the June 14 Nancy's

Glitter Handicap and a well-beaten last of seven most recently in the Grade 3

Shuvee Handicap on July 27. She now boasts a 13-4-2-0, $155,925, career mark

with Saturday's score.

"It was a very tough race up there," Wolfson said in regards to the Shuvee at

Saratoga. "She just loves this track. She won two in a row last year (by open

lengths), so she loves it here. She's very, very good when she's fresh and she

comes from off the pace now. She didn't used to; she used to go right to the

front."

One race later, Robert Leibner's hard-knocking Bad Debt drew ever closer to

the million mark in earnings with a half-length victory in the $100,000

Millions Turf

Preview. The Grand Reward gelding was sent off the 3-5 favorite and lived up to

those odds when stopping the clock in 1:41 4/5 for 1 1/16 miles on the firm

turf. The win was also the second of four on the day for jockey Paco Lopez.

Bad Debt had brought a lot of joy to trainer Michael

Trombetta's stable since being claimed in June 2010, so when seven-year-old gelding

was claimed for $80,000 at Belmont Park in June, the empty stall was a

bittersweet reminder of the good times.

Two races later, when trainer David Jacobson entered Bad Debt for a $60,000

tag at Belmont, Trombetta and Leibner jumped at

the chance to claim back their star.

"It was like losing the family dog when he was claimed," Trombetta said. "We

had him for a long time. We were glad to get him back. This race was our target,

and he's done it for the past four years."

Making his second start back with his old connections, Bad

Debut captured the Millions Turf Preview (known as the Bonnie Heath

Turf Cup in 2011 and 2012) for the fourth straight year to celebrate a happy reunion in the Gulfstream Park

West winner's circle.

"It was another good one for him. He generally shows up and

always gives it a good effort," Trombetta said. "He's very near and dear to us.

We enjoy him a lot."

Bad Debt, who had been winless since capturing the Millions Turf

Preview last year, will be pointed toward the $150,000 Sunshine

Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park on January 17. He'll bring along a 56-15-14-13

mark and $818,930 in career earnings.

In addition to the three Millions Preview races, four juvenile stakes also

took place.

First up was the $100,000

Juvenile Filly Turf, which saw Hangover Saturday go

gate-to-wire to earn her first stakes victory. Campaigned by breeders John Eaton

& Steve Laymon as well as Mark Sayeg, the David Fawkes pupil was 2 1/4 lengths

clear on the line while completing a mile on the turf in 1:39 1/5 under jockey

Abdiel Jaen.

"It's not completely unexpected. This filly has been breezing really well for

me. She's been doing everything right for me in the morning," Fawkes said. "I

figured if she could get a pace like this. She's so much like her stablemate

Daring Kathy -- same rider, and he rode her the same way."

Hangover Saturday was making her fourth start in the race, having broken her

maiden debut by 4 3/4 lengths over Gulfstream's turf on August 8. The bay

daughter of Pomeroy never recovered after bobbling at the start of her next

race, the Susan's Girl division of the Florida Sire Stakes, and wound up a

distant last of 13 in that main track contest. She entered the Juvenile Filly

Turf off a fifth-placing back on Gulfstream's green in the October 4 Our Dear

Peggy Stakes, and improved her resume to read 4-2-0-0, $91,305 on Saturday.

In the brother race, the $100,000

Juvenile Turf,

Firespike came from midpack to take command and draw off for a 3 1/2-length

score as the 8-5 favorite. The Mike Maker trainee had Edgar Prado aboard while

completing eight grassy furlongs in 1:36 for owners Skychai Racing LLC, Charles

Kevin Warner and Sand Dollar Stable LLC.

Firespike took three tries to break his maiden, finally getting the job done

at Saratoga on August 30. All three of those starts came on turf, but the Flower

Alley colt was switched to the main track for his stakes bow in the Grade 1

Breeders' Futurity last out on October 4 at Keeneland. The bay never factored,

running a one-paced seventh throughout, and relished this return to turf to

boost his career line to 5-2-1-1, $122,509.

A couple races prior to the Millions Classic Preview, Mr. Jordan pulled away

under a hand ride in the $100,000

Juvenile Sprint to remain perfect in his

stakes debut. Lopez guided the gray son of Kantharos to finish 6 1/2 furlongs on

the main track in 1:18 1/5.

Saddled by Ed Plesa Jr. for David Melin, Leon Ellman and Laurie Plesa, Mr.

Jordan was made the 4-5 favorite off his 6 1/4-length debut score on September

14 at Monmouth Park. This follow-up win boosted his bankroll to $80,040.

"I haven't plotted it out. I will sit down after this race

and come up with some kind of plan," Plesa said in regards to Mr. Jordan's next

start. "Paco's always had the impression that the horse will go around two

turns. He said that before this horse ever ran. He said this horse will go all

day. I think he will go around two turns, so there's a lot to look forward to."

Closing out the Millions Preview Day card at Gulfstream Park West was the

$100,000

Juvenile Filly Sprint, which saw Jack or Better Farm homebred Leap Year Luck

find her way back to the winner's circle. Rallying from the rear of the

11-strong pack down the center of the track, the Stanley Gold charge swept past

Savingtime to record a 2 1/4-length score in a time of 1:19 1/5 for 6 1/2

furlongs on the main track under Jesus Rios.

Leap Year Luck broke her maiden by 4 3/4 lengths in the Desert Vixen division

of the Florida Sire Stakes in early August, but was third in the Susan's Girl

and a well-beaten seventh in the final leg of the series, the My Dear Girl

division, to the re-opposing Holywell. The Hear No Evil filly is now 6-2-1-1,

$161,834, following Saturday's win.

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