Arch | Horse Racing Free Tips

Tax Impressive in Potential Pegasus Tune-Up

Tax (Arch) likely punched his ticket to the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23 with a sharp, front-running performance off the bench in Saturday’s GIII Harlan’s Holiday S.

The 2019 GII Jim Dandy S. and GIII Withers S. winner hit the gate running from his rail draw and Luis Saez was able to dictate very manageable fractions of :23.87 and :46.96. He began to give them the slip as they hit the top of the stretch and was home free from there, running up the score under confident handling, just missing Social Inclusion’s 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

A distant ninth at a well-backed 4-1 after stumbling at the start in the 2020 Pegasus back in January, Tax only made one start since, finishing fifth in the GII Oaklawn H. May 2.

Claimed for $50,000 out of his maiden breaker at Keeneland in October 2018, Tax’s resume also includes runner-up finishes in Aqueduct’s 2019 GII Wood Memorial S. and GIII Discovery S. and a third-place finish in the 2018 GII Remsen S. He was also a respectable fourth in the GI Belmont S.

The Harlan’s Holiday was his first victory since capturing the Jim Dandy over Tacitus (Tapit) and Global Campaign (Curlin).

“We have really, really been high on him,” winning trainer Danny Gargan said. “We really thought he’d run big at Keeneland, but he got sick on us and caused him to miss the race. I got really depressed about it because I was waiting to run him. Today, he showed up. I think this will be his best year. He’s grown, developed. He’s sound. He’s bigger, stronger than he’s ever been. I couldn’t be happier with him today.”

Pedigree Notes:

Tax is the product of three generations bred by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider out of Wild Applause (Northern Dancer), who Seth Hancock bought from Rokeby Stables for $1,025,000 at the 1992 Keeneland November sale. Wild Applause and her dam, the blue hen and Broodmare of the Year Glowing Tribute (Graustark), were both bred by another benchmark in the game: Paul Mellon and his Rokeby Stables. Mellon and Charles Englehard had purchased Glowing Tribute’s dam, Admiring (Hail to Reason), for $310,000 at Saratoga in 1966, setting the world record for the time for a Thoroughbred sold at public auction. Admiring’s third dam was the incomparable breed-shaper La Troienne (Teddy), making Tax a direct tail-female descendant of La Troienne. The top-class winners, champions, and sires hailing from this family are an embarrassment of riches, as evidenced by Tax’s dam herself being a half-sister to the dam of MGISW Elate (Medaglia d’Oro). Toll, who sold for just $50,000 at the 2018 KEENOV sale months prior to Tax’s breakout success, has a yearling Blame filly and has been bred to Bee Jersey for next term. Tax’s late sire, Arch, stood at Claiborne and sired 70 black-type winners, 42 of which are graded. Arch hails from another of the greatest female families in the stud book–his third dam is Broodmare of the Year Courtly Dee (Never Bend)–making Tax possibly the best-bred gelding in the history of Thoroughbred racing.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HARLAN’S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:41.15, ft.
1–TAX, 121, g, 4, by Arch
1st Dam: Toll, by Giant’s Causeway
2nd Dam: Yell, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Wild Applause, by Northern Dancer
O-R A Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing & Hugh Lynch;
B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B Dilschneider (KY); T-Danny
Gargan; J-Luis Saez. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 13-4-3-1,
$957,060. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Eye of a Jedi, 123, g, 5, Eye of the Leopard–Sea Song’s Grace,
by Elusive Quality. ($1,500 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O/T-Steve Budhoo;
B-Calumet Farm (KY). $19,600.
3–Phat Man, 123, g, 6, Munnings–Nicole’s Dream, by Northern
Trend. ($57,000 Ylg ’15 FTKJUL; $72,000 RNA 2yo ’16 OBSMAR;
$20,000 2yo ’16 EASMAY; $65,000 5yo ’19 FTKHRA).
O-Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing LLC & Two Rivers
Racing Stable LLC; B-Kim & Rodney Nardelli (KY); T-J Kent
Sweezey. $9,800.
Margins: 4HF, HF, 1. Odds: 2.30, 10.60, 2.20.
Also Ran: Math Wizard, Identifier, Tatweej, Royal Urn.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Tax Returns With a Vengeance In Harlan’s Holiday; Pegasus World Cup Next?

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Hugh Lynch's Tax returned to winning form in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), scoring a dominating 4 ½ -length victory while stamping himself as a prime candidate for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, was one of five stakes on Saturday's program, which was headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

Tax, a prominent player on the 2019 Road to the Triple Crown, had been winless since capturing the 2019 Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga until he broke through with a dazzling front-running score Saturday that threatened the track record for 1 1/16 miles.

“We have really, really been high on him. We really thought he'd run big at Keeneland but he got sick on us and caused him to miss the race. I got really depressed about it because I was waiting to run him. Today, he showed up,” Gargan said. “I think this will be his best year. He's grown, developed. He's sound. He's bigger, stronger than he's ever been. I couldn't be happier with him today.”

Unraced since finishing fifth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap – his only start since finishing off-the-board in last year's Pegasus World Cup – Tax went right to the front under jockey Luis Saez after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was never threatened thereafter. The 4-year-old gelded son of Arch completed 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.15 while being under wraps for the final sixteenth of a mile, missing Social Inclusion's 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

“I could feel that he was doing great. He was ready. He was pretty focused in the gate and he broke so sharp. He took the lead and controlled the pace and at the five-eighths, I felt like I had a lot of horse,” Saez said. “When we came to the stretch and he changed leads, he took off. He was very comfortable the whole way. I knew I had a lot of horse. We were just saving him for the next time. I could feel that we were going fast, but he was so comfortable. He loves to run, and we let him run.”

Next time could quite likely come in the Pegasus World Cup, in which he stumbled at the start and wasn't able to recover last year.

“I'll have to talk to Dean [Reeves] and Randy [Hill] and Hugh Lynch,” Gargan said. “I'm blessed that they're been so patient. He's only run two times this year. We turned him out and had a couple of misfortunes that we didn't get to run. Having great owners like those guys really helps you develop a horse into a good horse.”

Eye of a Jedi closed from far back to finish second under Marcos Meneses, a half-length ahead of 2-1 favorite Phat Man, who stalked the early pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. but was unable to mount a serious challenge.

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Instilled Regard Retired to Taylor Made

Grade I winner Instilled Regard (Arch–Enhancing, by Forestry) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at Taylor Made. The 5-year-old will stand for a fee of $12,500 S&N for the 2021 season.

Bred by KatieRich Farms, Instilled Regard RNA’d for $110,000 at Keeneland September, but brought $1.05 million from Larry Best’s OXO Equine at the OBS March Sale. Turned over to Jerry Hollendorfer, he began his career on dirt, finishing second in the 2017 GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity S. and captured the 2018 GIII Lecomte S. Fourth in the GII Risen Star S. that term, the dark bay filled the same spot behind eventual Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy) in both the GI Santa Anita Derby and GI Kentucky Derby.

Transferred to Chad Brown, Instilled Regard was off the board in the GI Pennsylvania Derby, after which he was switched to turf, finishing third in the GI Hollywood Derby. Winless in his first three starts of 2019, he finished off the season with a victory in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. Third in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. in January, the OXO Equine colorbearer was off the board in the GII Mervin Muniz Memorial S. Mar. 21, but closed out his career with victories in the June 6 GII Fort Marcy S. and July 4 GI Manhattan S. Instilled Regard retires with a record of 18-5-3-4 and earnings of $983,240.

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Arch Cat Steps Up In Saturday’s Bold Ruler

Burns Thoroughbred Racing's Arch Cat will take on graded stakes company for the first time in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler at Belmont Park.

The 45th renewal of the Bold Ruler in Race 9 headlines a loaded 10-race card that also offers the $80,000 Zagora at 12 furlongs on the Widener turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up in Race 6; and the $80,000 Awad at 1 1/16-miles on the inner turf for juveniles in Race 8. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Daniel Velazquez, who notched the first two stakes wins of his career with Laobanonaprayer [Maid of the Mist] and Brooklyn Strong [Sleepy Hollow] on Saturday's Empire Showcase Day card at Belmont, the 6-year-old Arch Cat will be making his 38th career start in the seven-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up on Big Sandy.

The hard-knocking Arch gelding, who sports a record of 13-3-12 with purse earnings of $363,485, was claimed for $16,000 in June 2019 at Parx and has since won 6-of-14 starts for the new connections.

Velazquez said he has taken a patient approach with Arch Cat's training routine.

“He's a horse that came with some bumps and bruises,” said Velazquez. “It wasn't an equipment change but more of maintenance control with him. A light training program is good for him. He's an older horse.”

Arch Cat enjoyed a three-race win streak that began in February in a Parx allowance sprint and continued through an optional-claiming score at Delaware Park in July into an impressive stalking effort to win a Laurel Park allowance on August 20 that garnered a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. He finished third last out in a seven-furlong allowance on September 23 at Parx that was won by multiple stakes winner My Boy Tate.

“He's as fast as anybody,” said Velazquez. “Tactically, he could be second or third off of any pace. I love the seven-eighths distance for him, I think that's really his cut.”

Kendrick Carmouche, who guided Laobanonaprayer to a patient stalking score in the Maid of the Mist, has guided Arch Cat to three previous victories in four attempts and will be reunited with the bay from post 4.

“Kendrick really clicks with that horse and he was riding him even before I claimed the horse,” said Velazquez.

Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing, and Two Rivers Racing Stable's Phat Man enters with back-to-back triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in one-mile tilts at Gulfstream Park from a rallying score in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper on January 25 that garnered a 101 and a closing second in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile that earned a career-best 102.

Trained by Kent Sweezey, the 6-year-old Munnings gelding sports a ledger of 27-7-8-1 with purse earnings of $518,253. He will contest a distance shorter than one-mile for the first time since his December 2016 debut when fifth sprinting 5 ½-furlongs on the Fair Grounds turf.

Phat Man has posted nine breezes at Monmouth Park dating back to August 19 with four bullet efforts, including a sharp three-eighths in 34 flat on October 25 in preparing for his return from an eight-month layoff.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, aboard for the Gulfstream Park Mile effort, retains the mount from post 6.

Share the Ride, trained by Antonio Arriaga for owner Silvino Ramirez, is another former claimer looking to make the grade. The 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding was haltered for $16,000 out of a winning effort in an optional-claiming tilt on July 5 at Monmouth.

Two starts back, Share the Ride went gate-to-wire to win the six-furlong Mr. Prospector by 3 3/4-lengths on September 12 at Monmouth. He followed last out with a pacesetting third in the six-furlong Grade 2 Vosburgh Invitational.

Manny Franco retains the mount from post 2.

R. A. Hill Stable's graded-stakes placed Majestic Dunhill enters in search of his first win in 10 starts since capturing the seven-furlong City of Laurel in November 2018.The 5-year-old Majesticperfection gelding has two seconds and one third from five starts this campaign, including a last-out second in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint on September 25 at Belmont that earned a 97 Beyer.

Joel Rosario has the return engagement from post 5.

Rounding out the field are Mihos [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Wendell Fong [post 3, Luis Saez].

America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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