Vegso Racing Stable's Lord Miles and Gentry Farms' West Coast Cowboy are scheduled to represent Saffie Joseph Jr. in Saturday's $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park in the defending Championship Meet training titlist's quest to win the 1 1/16-mile Triple Crown prep in back-to-back years.
Joseph saddled White Abarrio for a 4 ½-length victory in the Holy Bull last season prior to the striking gray colt's triumph in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).
The Holy Bull will headline a 12-race program featuring five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds.
Lord Miles, who captured his Nov. 19 debut in eye-catching fashion, dropped back after an alert start in his subsequent appearance in the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man before making a late stretch surge to finish third, only three-quarters of a length behind first-place finisher Legacy Isle, who would be disqualified for drifting out and placed second.
“The last time he had a lot to do. He didn't run a complete race,” Joseph said. “We're putting some blinkers on him. Hopefully, they'll make a difference.”
Lord Miles, a homebred son of Curlin, had previously overcome bumping on the backstretch to score going away by 5 2/4 lengths after a four-wide sweep into the stretch.
Irad Ortiz Jr. is scheduled to ride Lord Miles for the first time. The Joseph trainee will break from the No. 1 post position.
West Coast Cowboy, who will break from the No. 1 post position, was also victorious in his debut, setting a pressured pace before prevailing by a neck in a Sept. 18 maiden special weight race at a mile over a sloppy track. The homebred son of West Coast came back to finish and even fourth behind Legacy Isle in a mile optional claiming allowance Nov. 27.
“We're giving him a chance. He's not fast enough in the numbers,” Joseph said. “He's not a very good work horse. I thought last time when he ran fourth in an allowance, it was an OK run behind the horse that won the Mucho Macho Man and was disqualified. We're going to see where we are. They're 3-year-olds. If you don't give them a chance, you don't know where you're at.”
Edgard Zayas, who was aboard for West Coast Cowboy's debut, returns for the Holy Bull.
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