Harlan's Holiday | Horse Racing Free Tips

Math Wizard ‘Going To Move Forward,’ Aimed At Pegasus World Cup

The fields for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) will be firmed up on Friday, when the connections of the invitees must confirm their intent to run in the Jan. 23 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational series at Gulfstream Park.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has every intention to run Grade 1 winner Math Wizard in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup. The 5-year-old son of Algorithms was listed second in preference on Reserve Invitees list released last week but is expected to draw into the 12-horse field due to the recent retirement of defending champion Mucho Gusto and the likelihood of Anothertwistafate, No. 1 on the Reserve list for the Pegasus, being committed to the Pegasus Turf.

Math Wizard, who captured the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx, came off a three-month layoff to finish fourth in the Dec. 12 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park. The Harlan's Holiday was won in impressive front-running fashion by Tax, who won by 4 ½ lengths while covering 1 1/16 miles in a sharp 1:41.15.

“If all goes well, he'll run in the Pegasus,” Joseph said. “He's doing good. Normally, when he comes off a layoff, it takes a race or two for him to come back to order. We wanted to get him the race in the Harlan's Holiday. I feel like he's going to move forward off that race.”

Math Wizard is winless in seven starts since registering a 31-1 upset victory in the Pennsylvania Derby. Heading into Parx's signature race, he had gone winless in six starts following his 18 ½-length victory at Gulfstream Jan. 31, 2019, when he was claimed by Joseph and owner John Fanelli for $25,000.

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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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Up-And-Coming Trainer Kent Sweezey Employs ‘The Jerkens Way’ For South Florida Success

Falling back on the knowledge he gained while serving as trainer Jimmy Jerkens' assistant for three years, Kent Sweezey has been making a name for himself while competing in South Florida on a year-round basis for the first time this year.

“We're doing old school stuff with the cheaper horses and, I'll tell you, it's working,” he said.

Fresh off a banner Gulfstream Park West meet, during which he saddled 11 winners from 31 starters, Sweezey visited the winner's circle twice Thursday afternoon and on the first day of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet at Gulfstream last Wednesday.

“We've got a good group of horses. It's been a learning curve. What we have now are a lot of the lesser-level horses, but they're winners. We've got a barn full of winners,” said Sweezey, who will saddle Phat Man for a start in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream. “They're lesser-level horses. They're not maiden special weight or allowance horses. I've got a couple of those. The 2-year-olds we have did well in Jersey and down here. I hope they keep going and we get some fresh 2-year-olds coming in.”

Sweezey's year-round success in South Florida has been very much a case of making the best of a very bad situation.

“When we stayed down here this year, the COVID thing was going on. I thought this was the one place that was staying open, would continue to run and had good purses,” Sweezey said. “I knew the place, I thought it was a good time to leave horses here year-round.”

Sweezey, who had a larger string based at Monmouth Park during the summer, wasn't able to be as hands-on with his horses at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, as he would have liked.

“I expected to come down every couple weeks and check things out and try to grow my business a little bit, but with restrictions that were put in, we couldn't travel like we wanted to,” he said. “I came down one time early on and had to quarantine for 14 days when I went back to Monmouth. I couldn't keep doing that.”

Sweezey's horses were left in very capable hands with assistant trainers Steve Moyer and Eddie Azate, who also had previously worked for Jerkens.

“The same things I learned is the same stuff Steve Moyer learned. With Eddie it's the same way. We all learned the Jerkens Way,” Sweezey said. “We just need to get the grooms to buy into it. We already know it works.”

Sweezey grew up in Lexington, Ky., where his parents operate Timber Town Stable.

“I did the sales, foals and mares, and yearling prep. I did all that,” he said.

Sweezey went on to work for trainer Christophe Clement for a year, before venturing to Southern California to work for trainer Eoin Harty for three years and returning east to serve as Jerkens assistant for three years.

“As soon as I started at the racetrack, I wanted to work for the best people,” he said. “I wanted to win races. That's what you get up for in the morning.”

Sweezey went out on his own in 2017 and has saddled 128 winners, including Phat Man, who gave him the first graded-stakes success while winning the Fred Hooper (G3) at Gulfstream Park last January.

Sweezey, who saddled Phat Man for runner-up finishes in last season's Harlan's Holiday and Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), is hoping to build on that success during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet and beyond at Gulfstream.

“We're big-time looking forward to the meet and we love Palm Meadows,” Sweezey said. “We're always trying to pick up new owners. We've had some calls, because they see us down here. This is a constant. The good thing about South Florida is it's a constant.”

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Talented Tatweej Prepared For ‘Coming Out Party’ In Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday

Alshareef Hazzaa Shaker Alabdali's Tatweej is scheduled to make his stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park, where the 4-year-old son of Tapit will put a streak of three commanding victories on the line.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, is one of four graded stakes on Saturday's card, headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 23.

The late-developing Tatweej, who was purchased for $2.5 million at the 2017 Keeneland September sale, has run four times, all at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third in his June 21 debut. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt, who obviously benefited from the experience, went on to win his next three starts at Gulfstream, all going away at the one-turn mile distance under Edgard Zayas.

“He's a very well-bred horse and always showed some talent. It took a little while to kind of get to the races, but he's been ultra-consistent since he has,” Pletcher said. “This is kind of his coming out party, so to speak, if he's able to handle this step up.”

Tatweej broke his maiden by 3 ¾ lengths on a fast track before winning a first-level optional claiming allowance by 2 ½ lengths over a good track and capturing a second-level optional claiming allowance by 2 ¾ lengths over a sloppy surface.

“He seems to like Gulfstream,” Pletcher said. “It will be an opportunity to get him stretched out around two turns and see how he can handle that and the step up in the class.”

Zayas has the return call aboard Tatweej, who will be taking on six rivals with vastly more stakes experience.

Phat Man, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing LLC and Two Rivers Racing Stable LLC, will seek to improve on a second-place finish in last year's Harlan's Holiday, in which he finished between victorious war horse, War Story, and bad-boy-turned-Grade-1-winner Bodexpress.

The son of Munnings went on to capture the Fred Hooper (G3) to give trainer Kent Sweezey his first graded-stakes success and finish second in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

“A couple of guys who know the sheets always said he was running really good numbers at a one-turn mile,” Sweezey said. “But I thought he ran a great race going two turns in this same race last year.”

Phat Man didn't see action again until returning from an eight-month layoff in the Nov. 7 Lafayette at Keeneland, where he raced extremely wide from his far-outside post position before finishing sixth, four lengths behind victorious Sleepy Eyes Todd.

“He was hung out wide.” Sweezey said. “He's huge. He's the biggest horse I've been around. He's massive. I thought he got a little tired which goes to show you he needed one under his belt.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard in last year's Harlan's Holiday and Hooper, returns to the saddle Saturday.

John Fanelli and partners' Math Wizard will seek to win his first race in six starts since capturing the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 4-year-old colt's best performance this year was a second-place finish behind Global Campaign in the Monmouth Cup (G3) in July.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride the son of Algorithms for the first time.

Tax, a multiple graded-stakes winner for R. A Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch and Corms Racing Stable, is scheduled to return from a seven-month layoff Saturday. The 4-year-old gelding has raced only once since finishing a troubled ninth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream last January, finishing fifth in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) May 2.

Tax won the Withers (G3) and finished second in the Wood Memorial (G2) last year before finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The son of Arch went on to win the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga a few months later.

Luis Saez, who rode six winners on last Saturday's Claiming Crown program, has the call aboard Tax.

Roseland Farm Stable's Royal Urn will seek his first stakes victory in open company for trainer Kelly Breen. The 4-year-old son of Kantharos, though, is in career form, having captured three stakes for New Jersey-bred horses at Monmouth Park this year.

Joe Bravo, who was aboard for one of those stakes triumphs, has the call Saturday.

Trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi, who finished off the board in last year's Harlan's Holiday, enters this year's race off back-to-back victories. The son of Eye of the Leopard closed strongly to defeated multiple grades-stakes winner Diamond Oops in the mile Coaltown Handicap June 13 before stretching-out to 1 1/16 miles to win the Sea of Tranquility Stakes a month later.

Marcos Meneses, who was aboard for the Coaltown Handicap score, has the call aboard the Kentucky-bred 5-year-old gelding.

Gelfenstein Farm Inc.'s Identifier, who registered a 60-1 upset victory in last season's Hal's Hope (G3), is coming off a distant second-place finish behind next-out Grade 1 stakes winner Bodexpress in a Gulfstream Park West optional claiming allowance.

Jose Ortiz is scheduled to ride the 4-year-old son of Creative Cause for the first time Saturday.

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