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Drain The Clock Will Stick To One Turn In Saturday’s Swale Stakes

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock will make his graded-stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park for connections who are hoping to keep things short and sweet.

Although also nominated to the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3), the 1 1/16-mile Curlin Florida Derby prep that will headline a 12-race program with five graded stakes, Drain the Clock will seek to remain undefeated in South Florida in the seven-furlong undercard feature for 3-year-olds.

“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.

Drain the Clock captured his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turn maiden special weight race at Gulfstream before winning a first-level optional claiming allowance at six furlongs at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 28. The son of Maclean's Music was favored to win the Nov. 28 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs but unseated his rider when a rein broke during the race.

The Joseph trainee rebounded in a big way at Gulfstream Park Jan. 2 while winning the six-furlong Limehouse Stakes by 7 ½ lengths.

“His last race was a breakthrough race. We always thought a lot of him. First time out he showed that he could relax. Second time out was more workmanlike. Third time out everything went wrong,” Joseph said. “To see him come back like that was more impressive than we could have imagined. It was satisfying to see him win like that.”

Joseph said he isn't ruling out a future stretch-out for Drain the Clock.

“It's definitely in the backs of our minds. We just want to take it step by step,” Joseph said. “The owners are very realistic. They're not going to get Derby Fever. They want to do what's right by the horse.”

Edgard Zayas, who has been aboard Drain the Clock for all three victories, has the return mount.

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Stonestreet Stables LLC's Likeable will cut back in distance for the Swale after finishing far back in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland after pressing a solid early pace.

“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.”

The son of Frosted finished second in a photo finish in his Saratoga debut Aug. 22 before graduating in a one-turn mile race at Belmont by 8 ¼ lengths.

Luis Saez has the call aboard Likeable.

Jump Sucker Stable, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's By George will make only his second career start in the Swale, following his 5 ¼-length maiden romp at Aqueduct Dec. 19.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call aboard the Christophe Clement-trained son of Into Mischief.

Stonehedge LLC's Poppy's Pride will seek his fourth straight stakes victory Saturday. The son of Khozan, who is eligible for a $25,000 win-only bonus offered to Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners, came off a maiden victory to capture the off-the-turf Armed Forces at Gulfstream, the Juvenile Sprint for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 5.

Jesus Rios, who was aboard for the Armed Forces and Juvenile Sprint wins, has the call.

Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister's Ultimate Badger and West Point Thoroughbreds and Peacock Stable's King's Ovation will represent trainer Dale Romans in the Holy Bull. Ultimate Badger finished fifth in the Mucho Macho Man Jan. 2 at Gulfstream, while King's Ovation was no factor in an optional claiming allowance at Churchill Downs after breaking his maiden in his second career start.

Jose Ortiz has the call on Ultimate Badger, while Corey Lanerie is named on King's Ovation.

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Drain The Clock Rebounds With 7 1/2-Length Limehouse Stakes Score

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Saturday, putting an unfortunate trip out of town behind him with a dazzling 7 ½-length victory in the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes.

The Limehouse, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was one of five stakes on Saturday's 11-race program that was headlined by the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man, a mile stakes for 3-year-olds that was the first stop on the Road to the Florida Derby (G1).

Drain the Clock registered the first stakes victory of his career that he launched with back-to-back victories at Gulfstream before making an unfortunate trip to Delta Downs for the Jean Lafitte Stakes, in which the rider was unseated due to a broken iron.

“It was really impressive. He impressed me today,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He was always highly thought of. He was impressive in his debut. His second win was more workmanlike than impressive. Last time, it was a bit of a mishap. We got him back today and he showed up.”

Drain the Clock, the 9-5 favorite, was rated just off the pace set by Warrior's Pride, who posted fractions of 21.78 and 44.83 seconds while showing the way for the first half-mile. Edgard Zayas sent Drain the Clock after the pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch, and the son of Maclean's Music produced a powerful kick to pull away from the field.

“It was a pretty smooth trip. He broke sharp out of the gate. My only worry was that he was moving a little bit in the gate, but everything worked out really well,” Zayas said. “I was just trying to keep him in the clear and he did it all.”

Drain the Clock ran six furlongs in 1:10.11. Tiger finished second under Luis Saez, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Runway Magic and jockey Julien Leparoux.

Competitive Speed Gives Trainer 1st U.S. Stakes Win in Glitter Woman
John Minchello's Competitive Speed scored a 9-1 upset in Saturday's $75,000 Glitter Woman at Gulfstream Park, providing trainer Javier Gonzalez his first stakes success in the U. S.

“It's my first stakes here. We started the year on the right step. It seems to me that we will have some good things happen this year,” said Gonzalez, who has saddled multiple graded-stakes winners in Puerto Rico.

Hit the Woah, the 3-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., broke poorly from the starting gate and was never a factor while finishing fourth.

Competitive Speed ($20) collected her third straight victory with an off-the-pace performance in the 6 ½-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Shop Girl broke alertly, unlike her stablemate in the Christophe Clement barn, to show the way along the backstretch and around the far turn while setting fractions of 22.49 and 45.49 seconds for the first half mile. Competitive Speed launched a three-wide drive on the far turn under Leonel Reyes and set her sights on the pacesetter on the turn into the stretch. The daughter of Competitive Edge overtook Shop Girl approaching the 1/8-pole to capture her stakes debut by three lengths, completing the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.08.

Shop Girl, ridden by Luis Saez, finished second, 6 ½ lengths ahead of Gone to Cabo.

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Maclean’s Music’s Drain the Clock Bounces Back in Limehouse

Looking to atone for his first career defeat when he suffered an equipment malfunction in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs Nov. 30, Slam Dunk Racing’s Drain the Clock (Maclean’s Music) made light work of his rivals as the 9-5 chalk in Saturday’s Limehouse S. at Gulfstream Park.

Smoothly away beneath Edgard Zayas, the chestnut stalked a fast pace outside of front-running Warrior’s Pride (Poseidon’s Warrior), eased to the front approaching the stretch and kicked home smartly to defeat the blinkered Tiger by a handy margin. Runway Magic (Runhappy) finished third.

“It was a pretty smooth trip,” said the winning rider. “He broke sharp out of the gate. My only worry was that he was moving a little bit in the gate, but everything worked out really well. I was just trying to keep him in the clear and he did it all.”

Drain the Clock, a six-length maiden winner in the local slop on debut Sept. 12, added a one-length allowance tally at Gulfstream West Oct. 28 ahead of his Delta debacle, where an iron broke and he lost his jockey.

Drain the Clock is the 21st stakes winner for his Hill ‘n’ Dale-based sire and has a yearling half-brother by Mineshaft. His dam is due to Vino Rosso for 2021. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

LIMEHOUSE S., $75,000, Gulfstream, 1-2, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.11, 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 BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Slam Dunk Racing; B-Nick Cosato (KY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr; J-Edgard J Zayas. $45,570. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $91,170.
2–Tiger, 118, c, 3, Dialed In–Sally’s Song, by Unbridled’s Song. O/B-Arindel (FL); T-Juan Alvarado. $14,700.
3–Runway Magic, 118, c, 3, Runhappy–Divine Escapade, by A.P. Indy. O-Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc (J G Sikura) & Bruce Lunsford; B-W Bruce Lunsford & Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm (KY); T-George R Arnold II. $7,350.
Margins: 7HF, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 1.90, 8.00, 3.30.
Also Ran: Newyearsblockparty, Warrior’s Pride, Highway Bound, Ocean Ride. Scratched: Willy Boi.

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Promising Juvenile Drain The Clock Stays Undefeated, To Target Stakes Company

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock stayed undefeated Wednesday at Gulfstream Park West, scoring a length victory in the featured optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds,

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained colt had to work a little harder to prevail over stablemate Worlds On High in the six-furlong sprint than he did in his Sept. 12 debut at Gulfstream Park, where he scored a front-running six-length victory.

Drain the Clock broke alertly but settled just off the early pace contested by Tiger and Worlds On High past fractions of 22.08 and 45.21 seconds for the first half-mile. The son of Maclean's Music swung three-wide off the turn into the homestretch and mounted an extended stretch drive to overtake Worlds on High, who is trained by Joseph for Don and Rebecca Ming.

“He sat off there nicely and came under some pressure at the quarter-pole. I thought once he switched leads late by the three-eighths pole, he started going away,” Joseph said. “It was a workmanlike performance. Hopefully, he'll continue to build on that.”

Drain the Clock ($4.20) ran six furlongs in 1:10.67. Samy Camacho picked up the mount from leading rider Edgard Zayas, whose wife gave birth to their second daughter Wednesday.

Drain the Clock is expected to run in a stakes next time out.

Joseph was also extremely pleased with the performance of Worlds On High, who had debuted with a victory in a Sept. 18 $50,000 maiden claiming race at Gulfstream.

“He's a big trier. Today, he really ran big,” Joseph said. “I think World On High is a really nice horse also. He wasn't far off today.”

Worlds On High, who was ridden by apprentice Alberto Burgos, finished 1 ¾ lengths clear of third-place finisher The Distractor.

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