David Fawkes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trainer Fawkes Wins Three, Jockey Sutherland Four At Gulfstream Sunday

Veteran trainer David Fawkes has been forging his own path to the Gulfstream Park winner's circle while saddling five winners from five starters over the past two programs at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.

The South Florida mainstay, who has enjoyed much success on the national Thoroughbred stage, scored with his only two starters Saturday and his first three starters on Sunday's card. He swept the first three races on Sunday's nine-race card with Defendant ($3.60), Palomita ($5.60), and Golden Soda ($8.80), respectively. On Saturday, he visited the winner's circle after victories by Wild Irishman ($5.60) in Race 3 and Uptown Queen ($6.40) in Race 8.

“A lot of my horses are coming around – it was their turn – and the Tapeta hasn't hurt me at all. It's been very kind to me,” Fawkes said.

The first four winners in Fawkes five-race winning streak came over Gulfstream's newly installed Tapeta track.

“My horses have come out of running on it in great shape, and I haven't heard one negative about it,” Fawkes said. “I'm thrilled with it. They've done a good job. Congratulations to Gulfstream on that.”

Fawkes, who trained Big Drama, the 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint victor, and Sheer Drama, a multiple Grade 1 stakes-winning mare, enjoyed a personal best with his three-win day.

“Believe it or not, I had never won three races in one day before,” said Fawkes, who has saddled the winners of 1075 races and $38 million in purses. “I've won two and got beat a nose in a stake. I've had some good days but never won three in one day.”

Fawkes' winning streak came to an end in Sunday's Race 6, when Mony finished off the board.

Chantal Sutherland, who rode Fawkes' first two winners Sunday, added two more victories aboard Jorge Delgado-trained She Nasty ($14) in Race 7 and Royal War ($3.20) in Race 9, continuing to establish herself in Gulfstream's jockey colony.

Sutherland, who moved to South Florida over the winter, also won four races July 24.

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‘Better Than Normal’ Noble Drama To Take A Shot In Charles Town Classic

Although Harold Queen's Noble Drama would have been looked upon as a 'sure thing' by many bettors, the 6-year-old multiple-stakes winner with Grade 1 bloodlines will bypass a title defense in Saturday's $75,000 Benny The Bull at Gulfstream Park in search of graded glory.

“I'm thinking Charles Town,” trainer David Fawkes said Wednesday.

Fawkes has his sights set on the $800,000 Charles Town Classic (G2), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for Aug. 27.

“I think he fits in there really well,” Fawkes said, “and I've won the race before.”

Fawkes saddled Duke of Mischief for a 2 ¼-length victory over Game on Dude in the 2011 Charles Town Classic. The Florida-bred son of Graeme Hall returned the following year to finish second behind Caixa Eletronica.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama has won seven stakes and more than $700,000 in purses while racing in Florida, but the gelded son of Gone Astray came up short in only one graded-stakes opportunity.

“I just think this year he's gotten better than normal. He seems better than he used to be,” Fawkes said. “His comeback race was good and his second race is better. I just feel like he's doing really good and deserves an opportunity like that.”

Fan Favorite Noble Drama is 2-for-2 in mile overnight handicap starts since returning from a four-month layoff following his second-place finish in the $200,000 Sunshine Classic during Gulfstream's Championship Meet. He captured the May 22 My Name's Jimmy with a last-to-first surge before defeating a very talented field of rivals with another last to first score in the July 11 City of Dania.

In Noble Drama's absence, a field of seven veteran stakes performers has been assembled for the Benny The Bull, a seven-furlong stakes for Florida-breds.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Shivaree and Garter and Tie were entered Wednesday with trainer Ralph Nicks hoping that the homebreds can return to winning form. Shivaree, the runner-up in the 2020 Florida Derby (G1), is winless in four starts this year. Garter and Tie, a multiple-stakes winner who finished a troubled third behind Noble Drama in last year's Benny The Bull, is scheduled to make his 2021 debut Saturday.

Owner/trainer Kathleen O'Connell's Well Defined, who captured the 2019 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, is scheduled to seek his fifth victory in eight races this year in the Benny The Bull. Gary Barber and Michael Sebastian's Untitled, who finished second in the 2020 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, is set to come off a 5 ½-month layoff.

Owner/trainer Larry Bates' With Verve, owner/trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Silver Enough, IAB Stables and Walter Fralick's Quenane; Rodney Lundock's Pro Quality round out the field; and Hacienda Real Racing LLC's Travy Boy round out the field.

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Noble Drama Rallies To Take City Of Dania Stakes

Harold Queen's Noble Drama called on his family's class to rally from far off the pace to win Sunday's $60,000 City of Dania, a rapidly run contest in which multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed Jesus' Team, the 7-10 favorite, was never a factor while finishing fifth in a highly anticipated return to action.

The City of Dania, a one-turn mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up, headlined an 11-race program that wrapped up a weekend of racing action that included Papetu's victorious comeback in the $75,000 Carry Back and Competitive Speed's return to winning form in the Hallandale Beach on Saturday.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama with Emisael Jaramillo collected his seventh career stakes victory at Gulfstream Park with a 1 1/2-length decision over pacesetter I'm a G Six.

“What a horse,” said trainer David Fawkes, who also campaigned Noble Drama's more famous family members.

Jesus' Team, who finished sixth in the $10 million Grade 1 Dubai World Cup March 27 after checking in second behind Knicks Go in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 23, raced evenly under Samy Camacho while proving unable to employ the stretch kick that powered him to a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

“Samy said he felt good but that maybe he needed a race,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “I know he had a lot of weight. Now we just have to check him and make a decision.”

Jesus' Team carried 127 pounds as the starting highweight while conceding between five and 12 pounds to his seven rivals, including five pounds to Noble Drama.

The victorious 6-year-old gelding, who went to post as the 5-2 second betting choice, was coming off a late-rallying triumph in the My Name's Jimmy overnight handicap May 22 off a four-month layoff.

“That last race took a lot out of him but it gave him plenty of time to recover. This week while training he's been bucking and playing like a yearling,” Fawkes said. “He's so much fun. He shows up every time.”

I'm a G Six, who was coming off an impressive optional claiming allowance victory, was hustled to an early lead by jockey Rajiv Maragh and proceeded to set a blistering pace, putting up eye-catching fractions of :22.81 for the first quarter and :45.12 for the first half mile and 1:08.89 for six furlongs. Pro Quality chased the pacesetter into the stretch under Chantal Sutherland and briefly appeared on his way to victory inside the eighth pole, but Noble Drama loomed in full strike on the far outside and claimed the victory. I'm a G Six battled back to finish second, a neck ahead of Pro Quality.

Noble Drama ran the mile in 1:35.09.

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Noble Drama, Caribou Club Make Victorious Returns At Gulfstream

Harold Queen's Noble Drama made a triumphant return from a four-month layoff, closing from last to eke out a victory in Saturday's $60,000 The Name's Jimmy Handicap at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama showed his class while rallying off a pedestrian early pace to prevail by a nose over Glory of Florida in the mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

“He gives you 150 percent every time,” said trainer David Fawkes, who conditioned Big Drama and Sheer Drama, both Queen homebreds.

Unraced since finishing second in the Jan. 16 Sunshine Classic at Gulfstream, the homebred 6-year-old gelding dropped back to trail the six-horse field as Pro Quality showed the way during a first quarter of a mile in 24.59 seconds on his way to half-mile in 47.85. Emisael Jaramillo asked Noble Drama for some run leaving the backstretch and the son of Gone Astray responded with a four-wide rally to enter contention at the top of the stretch. The Florida-bred veteran kicked in through the stretch to narrowly prevail over a rail-rallying Glory of Florida.

“Emisael said it took him a little time to get him moving, but where he was sitting going into the turn, I was comfortable, although he did have to go four wide,” Fawkes said. “I wasn't so comfortable right there [at the finish line].”

Noble Drama, the 6-5 favorite who carried highweight of 122 pounds, ran a mile in 1:36.39 to claim his sixth career stakes victory and boost is career bankroll over $700,000.

“Look at the weight he's gained. We gave him three months off, brought him in and breezed him four times, and he won,” Fawkes said. “He's such a neat horse.”

Glory of Florida, who was ridden by Samy Camacho, finished a neck in front of pacesetter Pro Quality and jockey Miguel Vasquez.

Caribou Club Returns a Winner in Sunny Isles
Glen Hill Farm's Caribou Club, coming off a year layoff, drove to the lead down the stretch to win Saturday's $60,000 Sunny Isles over Harry's Ontheloose. Tiger Blood was third.

Winner of the 2019 Baltimore-Washington International Turf (G3) in 2019, Caribou Club, a 7-year-old gelding by City Zip trained by Thomas Proctor and ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, covered a firm five-furlong turf course in :55.01.

Caribou Club, who raced only three times in 2020, has now won 10 of 26 starts on the turf.

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