drain the clock | Horse Racing Free Tips

Joseph Looking At Fountain Of Youth Or Gotham For Swale Winner Drain The Clock

Drain the Clock breezed a half-mile Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in preparation for a possible start in the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27 at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track. The 3-year-old son of Maclean's Music was timed in :49.02 in his first workout since romping to victory in the Jan. 30 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream.

“It was his first easy breeze by himself. He went as good as could ask,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “Next week, we'll put in company. I didn't want him to go with company today, because I didn't want him to go too fast. By himself, he'll go as slow as you want. In company, he gets more aggressive.”

Drain the Clock has won four of five lifetime starts, his only loss coming when he lost his rider due to a broken iron during the running of the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs. He entered the Delta stakes off a six-length debut victory at Gulfstream Park and an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West. The Joseph trainee bounced back from his ill-fated trip to Louisiana with a 7 ½-length win in the Jan. 2 Limehouse and a 6 ¼-length triumph in the Swale during the 2020-'21 Championship Meet.

Joseph said Drain the Clock will likely return to action in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth or the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct March 6.

“He's also nominated to the Tampa Bay Derby, but I would say it's between the Fountain of Youth or the Gotham,” Joseph said.

The Joseph-trained Ny Traffic, who came within a nose of beating 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic in last year's Haskell (G1) at Monmouth, breezed a half-mile Sunday morning at Gulfstream. Idle since finishing ninth in the Oct. 3 Preakness (G1), the 4-year-old son of Cross Traffic was timed in 47:53 seconds for four furlongs in his sixth breeze in preparation for his return to action.

“The was his most serious work to date,” Joseph said. “He's in good order. He'll have maybe two more works and we'll try to find a spot.”

The New York-bred colt worked in company with Saturday's Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) winner Mischevious Alex in his previous workout.

Ny Traffic, who is owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman and team Hanley, finished second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, the Matt Winn (G2) at Churchill Downs, and the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. He finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

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Drain The Clock Overcomes Recent Colic, Dominates Swale Stakes At Gulfstream

Drain the Clock kept on ticking in Saturday's $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park, running his South Florida record to 4-for-4 with a dominating 6 ¼-length triumph.

The Swale, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was featured on a 12-race program with five graded stakes, headlined by the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3).

Drain the Clock, whose only loss in five career starts came at Delta Downs when his rider was unseated after a rein broke, was particularly impressive Saturday when it was revealed that the son of Maclean's Music was treated for a case of colic less than two weeks earlier.

“He made it easy today, but 12 days ago he colicked really bad and went to the clinic. Thank God, he got there, and he was good,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To see him win like that today – he's a good horse. We had to make the call after he breezed on Tuesday. There was no pressure to run. He worked good Tuesday and didn't give us any reason to say, 'no.'”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Racing Stables LLC, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig, Drain the Clock was sent to post as the even-money favorite in a field of six on the strength of his 7 ½-length victory in the six-furlong Limehouse Stakes Jan. 2 at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred colt broke alertly from the starting gate to rate outside pacesetter Poppy's Pride, who set fractions of 22.48 and 45.27 seconds for the first half-mile. Drain the Clock moved effortless to the lead under Edgar Zayas on the turn into the stretch and continued on to score a comfortable victory.

Drain the Clock ran seven furlongs in 1:23.29 after being taken under wraps approaching the finish.

“I'm very impressed. He's just improving every race. He's such an easy horse to ride. He breaks out of the gate like a rocket and positions himself in a perfect spot, and when it's time to run he kicks on. He's a really nice horse,” Zayas said. “I think he's maturing a lot. He's running way more straight and more focused into the race. Sometimes inside the gate he was a little nervous but today he was awesome. I think he's improving; hopefully he can stretch out his speed a little bit more.”

King's Ovation and Ultimate Badger, the longest and second-longest shots on the board, finishes second and third for trainer Dale Romans.

Drain the Clock won his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turf race at Gulfstream by six lengths and came right back to win a first-level optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West. Favored in the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs, Drain the Clock lost his rider after a rein broke during the race, but has rebounded nicely with back-to-back scores in the Limehouse and Swale.

The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park will be taken into consideration for Drain the Clock's next start, Joseph said.

“Everything will be under consideration. We'll talk to the owners, obviously, but there's no pressure to push that route. If everything goes good, I'm sure we'll try it,” Joseph said. “He looks like he'll get further.”

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth is the major prep for the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n Dale at Xalapa.

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Maclean’s Music Colt Crushes Swale Competition

Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) built on a 7 1/2-length thrashing of his rivals in the Jan. 2 Limehouse S. with yet another wide-margin victory while making his graded stakes debut in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. at Gulfstream Park.

The chestnut won the break and led through the opening exchanges, but was content to allow the fleet Poppy's Pride (Khozan) to slide through and take up the running passing the five-furlong pole. Clocking that one's every move beneath a very confident Edgard Zayas, Drain the Clock was allowed to stride into the lead with five-sixteenths of a mile to race, pinched an unassailable advantage and was taken in hand for the better part of the final 70 yards. King's Ovation (Not This Time) made eye-catching inside progress three furlongs out, was steadied slightly between Poppy's Pride and Likeable (Frosted) in upper stretch and ran home gamely, then galloped out past the winner.

Drain the Clock gave his connections a bit of a scare in the last couple of weeks.

“He made it easy today, but 12 days ago he colicked really bad and went to the clinic. Thank God, he got there, and he was good,” winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To see him win like that today–he's a good horse. We had to make the call after he breezed on Tuesday (4f in :50 3/5]. There was no pressure to run. He worked good Tuesday and didn't give us any reason to say, 'no.'”

A six-length debut winner in a local rained-off maiden Sept. 12, Drain the Clock overcame some trouble at the start to add a non-two-lifetime allowance at Gulfstream West Oct. 28. The even-money choice for the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs, Drain the Clock dropped his rider after an iron snapped, but he bounced back in no uncertain terms in the Limehouse.

Drain the Clock was bred by Nick Cosato and had heretofore been campaigned in the name of his Slam Dunk Racing. Madaket, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig were part of the ownership for the first time Saturday. Drain the Clock is possible for the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 27, a race that would represent his first try at a distance of ground.

Pedigree Notes:

One of 21 black-type winners for his Hill 'n' Dale-based stallion, Drain the Clock becomes the fifth winner at the graded level for Maclean's Music. While he has show an affinity for the main track, it would be little surprise to see Drain the Clock on the turf at some point, as his Group 3-winning third dam was responsible for Prince Fahd bin Salman's Midnight Line (Kris S.), third in the 1998 G1 Vodafone Oaks for Clive Brittain and later a Grade II winner and multiple Grade I-placed in North America while under the care of Neil Drysdale. Midnight Line is the dam of MGSW & MG1SP Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}). Manki aborted to Mr Speaker in 2019, but is the dam of a yearling Mineshaft colt and is currently due to Vino Rosso.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
CLAIBORNE FARM SWALE S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-30, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.29, ft.
1–DRAIN THE CLOCK, 120, c, 3, by Maclean's Music
1st Dam: Manki, by Arch
2nd Dam: Private Ice (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Midnight Air, by Green Dancer
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Wonder Stables & Michael Nentwig; B-Nick Cosato
(KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Edgard J. Zayas. $61,380. Lifetime
Record: 5-4-0-0, $152,550. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–King's Ovation, 118, c, 3, Not This Time–Karen's Silk, by High
Cotton. ($100,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP;
$200,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds &
Peacock Stable (Tom Hammond); B-Roxanne Martin Stable Inc.
(KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $19,800.
3–Ultimate Badger, 120, c, 3, Commissioner–El Rebecca, by El
Corredor. ($12,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $140,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP).
O-Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister; B-Erv Woolsey & Ralph Kinder
(KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $9,900.
Margins: 6 1/4, 3, 2. Odds: 1.10, 36.10, 19.20.
Also Ran: Likeable, Poppy's Pride, By George.
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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Who Do You ‘Like’ in the Swale?

A last out runaway stakes winner will meet a pair of promising maiden winners in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. going seven furlongs at Gulfstream.

Save a forgettable trip to the post losing his rider at the start in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta last November, Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) has done no wrong in three other attempts, headed by a runaway, front-running tally in Gulfstream's six-furlong Limehouse S. Jan. 2.

“The Swale is a good opportunity to stretch him out an eighth of a mile more. We feel like it's a race that's his for the taking,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “His last race was a breakthrough race. We always thought a lot of him.”

The rail-drawn Likeable (Frosted) earned a trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile following an 8 1/4-length maiden breaker at Belmont going a mile second out Sept. 19. The bay, however, could do no better than 13th after pressing a hot pace while making his two turn debut at the Championships in Lexington most recently Nov. 6.

“We kind of threw him to the wolves in the Breeders' Cup. He went too fast early on,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We've regrouped since then and he's been training well. We feel like backing up to seven furlongs will be a good distance for him.”

By George (Into Mischief) impressively handled his business on debut for Christophe Clement over sharp next out winner Too Boss (El Padrino) at Aqueduct Dec. 19. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call on the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

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