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Pimlico Special Winner Harpers First Ride Aiming To Close Out 2020 With Native Dancer Win

MCA Racing Stable's Harpers First Ride, winner of the historic Pimlico Special (Grade 3) over Preakness (G1) weekend in October, will get one more chance to add to what has been a spectacular season in the $100,000 Native Dancer Saturday, Dec. 26 at Laurel Park.

The 53^rd running of the 1 1/8 mile Native Dancer, first held at old Bowie Race Course in 1966, is among three stakes for 3-year-olds and up on the undercard of a Christmastide Day program featuring eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses led by the $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3).

Sprinters three and older will go six furlongs in the $100,000 Dave's Friend for males and $100,000 Willa On the Move for fillies and mares. Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m.

A gelded 4-year-old son of G1 winner Paynter, Harpers First Ride has won six of 10 starts with two seconds, one third and more than $435,000 in purse earnings in 2020. Three of those wins have come in stakes – the 1 3/16 mile Pimlico Special Oct. 2 at Pimlico Race Course and the Sept. 5 Deputed Testamony and Nov. 28 Richard W. Small, each going 1 1/16 miles at Laurel Park.

Maryland's three-time defending year-end training champion Claudio Gonzalez claimed Harpers First Ride for $30,000 out of a Sept. 14, 2019 win at Churchill Downs in his third career start, and he has amassed a lifetime record of 9-2-1 and a $513,055 bankroll in 16 races.

“Everybody likes to dream, but all the time he proves he can run with the good horses. He showed class since the day we claimed him,” Gonzalez said. “He came into the barn and every day he improved. He got better and better and he has never been a problem for us.”

Harpers First Ride has won three of his last four races, the exception being a runner-up finish to Monday Morning Qb in the 1 1/8 mile Maryland Million Classic Oct. 24 at Laurel, beaten 3 ¼ lengths. He bounced back with a three-length triumph in the Richard Small that produced the second-highest speed figure of his career.

“He had a perfect trip the last time. The time before he was on the outside the whole race and the last time it was much better,” Gonzalez said. “For me, the distance is not a problem. He's the kind of horse that can run all day.

“I cannot say anything bad about him. He does everything right. He's more mature,” he added. “Even when he breezes, if you ask him a little, he goes, and if you relax with him, he relaxes. You can see it in the races. When he runs, if you push him he can take the lead or he can come from behind. The horse is just a nice horse.”

Harpers First Ride will face a familiar foe in Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker, a fellow multiple stakes winner that he beat in the Deputed Testamony, Richard Small and Pimlico Special, the latter a race where Cordmaker has run third two consecutive years, beaten three lengths combined. Winless in seven tries this year, the 5-year-old son of Hall of Famer Curlin is one of three horses in the field to have banked more than a half-million dollars, the third being Tri-Brook Stables Inc.'s G3-placed Forewarned.

Air Token, owned and trained by Jose Corrales, takes a three-race win streak into the Native Dancer, the most recent coming Dec. 13 in a 1 1/16 mile optional claiming allowance at Laurel against older horses. The 3-year-old Golden Lad gelding's only previous try at 1 1/8 miles came on the grass, when he ran second in the Maryland Million Turf Starter Handicap Oct. 24 after taking a 5 ½ length lead into the stretch.

“I think the horse will be fine. He's been running the distance and he's also run the short distances,” Corrales said. “I think the horse is going to perform OK. He's got enough air for that. I think the first race that he ran on the grass he opened up too much and he just got caught.”

Included in Air Token's win streak is a victory in the seven-furlong Concern Stakes Nov. 28 at Laurel by a neck over Francatelli. He came off the pace to win that race as well as a restricted allowance against his elders one start prior, but last out won in front-running fashion. Air Token has four wins, two seconds and a third from nine starts since being claimed by Corrales for $10,000 out of an Aug. 1 win at Laurel.

“He doesn't need to be in front. He's a horse that if he can sit back he'll have a kick at the end,” Corrales said. “I'm just going day by day with this horse. This horse is showing me something every time. When I claimed this horse for [$10,000], I'm thinking if he can win for [$16,000] I'll be happy or I'll drop him back for [$10,000]. But he's getting better. Horses to me are like people, they need opportunity. You never know how far you can go and this horse has done that.”

Hall Pass, Saratoga Jack and V.I.P. Ticket complete the field.

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FHBPA and Gulfstream Host Holiday Lunch for Backstretch Workers

The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and Gulfstream Park hosted their annual Christmas lunch Monday and Tuesday, serving more than 500 backstretch workers at Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows. Workers also received tickets for bike raffles.

The FHBPA and Gulfstream Park worked alongside Pastor Tom Lapointe of His Place Ministries and the director of chaplaincy programs at Gulfstream Park for the annual event.

“It went great,” said Herb Oster, Director of Special Projects for the HBPA. “Obviously, things were a little different this year. We usually have Santa come by and we usually have it at the [north grandstand and apron] on Gulfstream’s front side, but it was a good event. No one congregated and everyone practiced social distancing. We need to take care of our people. In my opinion, these people are the hardest working in the industry.”

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Equibase Analysis: Nashville Stands Out In Runhappy Malibu Stakes

The holiday present the racing world opens on the day after Christmas is always a fantastic afternoon of racing on opening day of the winter-spring meeting at Santa Anita. The bright shiny bow on that present is, as usual, the Grade 1, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes.

Six horses are entered and each is special in his own right, with five of the sextet stakes winners. In terms of the level of stakes won by some of the entrants, we have to start with the Bob Baffert trained Charlatan, who crossed the finish line first in the rescheduled G1 Arkansas Derby in May, only to be stripped of that victory thereafter for a medication violation. Bob Baffert, who has won the Malibu three times previously, also saddles Thousand Words, winner of the 2019 G2 Los Alamitos Futurity as well as the Shared Belief Stakes this past summer.

Collusion Illusion won the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes in August so among the three graded stakes winners he is the only one with a win in a sprint like the Malibu. Then there's Nashville, undefeated in three starts including the Perryville Stakes last month in the sizzling time of 1:07.8. Independence Hall is no slouch, having won the G3 Nashua Stakes in November 2019 and back in form off a win last month following seven months off. Express Train has been first or second in all four of his races at a mile or less, and although this will be his first try in a graded stakes around one turn he can't be ruled out as a contender.

In this handicapper's opinion, this year's Malibu Stakes is Nashville's to lose. His effort in the Perryville Stakes last month at Keeneland was scintillating, winning by 3 1/2 lengths when galloping the last few yards after having run his opponents off their feet. The track that day was fast but fair and the 115 Equibase Speed Figure bears that out. Having earned a 106 figure winning his debut in September at Saratoga, then 113 five weeks later, Nashville is lightly enough raced that we have likely not seen his best yet. Since the Perryville, Nashville has put in three sizzling workouts at trainer Steve Asmussen's winter base at Fair Grounds in Louisiana, consisting of three five furlongs workouts, the most recent in :58.8 which was the best of 20 on the day. With the trainer's number one jockey Ricardo Santana in the saddle for the Malibu as he was for the Perryville, and with no horse in the field faster in the first quarter mile, Nashville may be running against the record book in terms of time in this year's race.

Independence Hall is the only horse I could see beating Nashville, based on how the race is likely to be run, and based on the fact he's making his second start back after seven months off as well as coming off a career-best effort. Independence Hall won the first three races of his career starting back in September of 2019. His second and third career wins came in stakes, all around one turn including the Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct last November with a 107 figure. Next winning the Jerome Stakes and putting himself into the early Derby picture, Independence Hall finished second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, before a poor fifth place effort in the Florida Derby. Away from the races from the end of March until last month, Independence Hall changed trainers to Michael McCarthy and came back better than ever with a new career-best 108 figure effort at six and one-half furlongs. Likely pointing to this race with that prep, Independence Hall has put in two best of the day workouts since then, the most recent :59 flat for five furlongs which was the best of 83 at the distance on the day. He gets a good outside post in case the pace is hot and with logical improvement off his 108 last race figure could potentially post the upset.

Regarding Charlatan, who is likely to be either the betting favorite, or second betting favorite behind Nashville, there are some serious concerns in my opinion about his probability to win compared to others. First, he hasn't been seen since winning the Arkansas Derby nearly eight months ago and in spite of some excellent workouts, he doesn't stand out based on his best efforts. In the race prior to the Arkansas Derby at Santa Anita in March, Charlatan earned a 108 figure just on par with the figure Independence Hall earned last month and much lower than the 113 and 115 figures Nashville earned in his two most recent races, as well as shy of the 116 figure Collusion Illusion earned winning the Bing Crosby Stakes this summer. Next, in spite of having won this race three times previously, Bob Baffert just does not have a good record with horses coming back from layoffs in the two big races for 3-year-olds on opening weekend – the Malibu Stakes and the La Brea Stakes (for fillies). According to a query I ran using STATS Race Lens, Baffert has not won in seven tries over the last five years with horses coming back from layoffs longer than two months. His most recent win in this race, with McKinzie, came off a layoff of just under two months. Particularly, horses which last ran in May similar to Charlatan fared poorly, such as Lord Nelson (2015), Mor Spirit (2016) and Solomini (2018). With those results in mind I'm taking a stand against Charlatan, also noting he has led from start to finish in all three races to date and there's little doubt he's not going to have the early lead against Nashville.

As to the rest of the field, Express Train earned a career-best figure of 112 when second at a mile in late September over the track before a failed attempt on turf and could return to competitive form back on the main track so could get a piece. Collusion Illusion rallied from seventh to win the Bing Crosby with a 116 figure and before that won the Lazaro Barrera Stakes at the distance of six and one-half furlongs so he could be making up ground late and is another with a shot to finish in-the-money. Thousand Words ran the second worst race of his career when last seen in October, finishing eighth in the Preakness Stakes. His best efforts winning the Shared Belief Stakes and Robert B. Lewis Stakes earned 107 figures but both were two-turn races so he would need to run better than he ever has to beat many of these.

Win Contenders, in preference order:
Nashville
Independence Hall

Runhappy Malibu Stakes – Grade 1
Race 10 at Santa Anita
Saturday, December 26 – Post Time 6:30 PM E.T.
Seven Furlongs
3-Year-Olds
Purse: $300,000

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‘He Smiles Every Day He Is At The Racetrack’: 79-Year Old Zeljko Krcmar Enjoys Career Year In 2020

When Zeljko Krcmar arrived in Ontario, he carried two dollars in his pocket, hope of a better life, and a dream of rekindling his association with horses. It was 1968 when the young man from Yugoslavia first set foot in Toronto. He can recall the moment as though it happened yesterday.

“I came here to work as a chemist, that was my trade,” recalled Krcmar. “But because my love and my passion was horses, I knew I had to do something for my career that was built around them. I was in show horses most of my life. When I was in Yugoslavia, I was a show jumper. The horses, throughout my life, I have always felt a closeness to them.”

His daughter, Mary Self, has seen the countless photos of his father's show horse days. Although each picture is different in what's depicted, every image shares a connection with the others.

“He's very, very passionate about horses,” said Self. “He's one of those old-time horsemen, and he's been doing it his whole life. Dad started riding when he was in Yugoslavia. The only place to ride horses was in the military – and there was mandatory military duty – so he would ride with the soldiers.”

Krcmar's skills in the saddle led to other roles outside of the show ring.

“My dad used to box and he was also a stuntman,” said Self. “I remember when I was young going to movie shoots with him. He played Tonto in a movie, and he did tricks on the horses. We had dogs that he would teach tricks to and they were in TV shows. I had quite the childhood seeing him doing all of those different things.”

Horses, however, were, and still very much are, Krcmar's greatest joy. Seven years after he came to Canada, he found his way to Woodbine Racetrack. Krcmar felt contentment the moment he walked onto the Toronto oval grounds.

After earning his trainer's license, he saddled his first horse in 1975. Now, some 45 years after sending his first Thoroughbred postward, Krcmar, nearly 80, is still finding happiness at the racetrack. His career numbers aren't nearly as flashy as some of his contemporaries – 98 wins, two stakes triumphs (including the 2008 Deputy Minister at Woodbine with Piper in the Glen) and just shy of $2 million in lifetime purse earnings – but Krcmar's training talents are indisputable. And he hasn't lost a step.

In 2020, he won 16 races, a career-best number, from 75 starts. His horses produced $283,401 in earnings, also a lifetime-best mark.

“I changed a lot of things this year,” noted Krcmar, whose racing silks feature the Croatian national flag and colors. “My feeding program was different from anyone else's program. Plus, with so many years experience, what you learn over time, it all helps. Even mistakes. You learn from your mistakes and that helps you perfect things.”

It also helps when you have a talented team at your side. Krcmar's wife, Gail, is a prime example.

“They are just the nicest people on earth,” Self said of her parents. “Dad, with his feed program, and the way he takes care of the horses, and Gail – she's in her 70's – she's on her hands and knees every day doing their legs, it's incredible.”

Self is also heavily involved and invested in horse racing, including as a Thoroughbred owner. Along with Tim Murray, they started owning horses together last year. In 2020, they began the season with six horses. By the end of the Woodbine campaign, they had four – one was claimed, another became a show jumper.

“We're blessed to have them taking care of our horses,” said Self. “We buy at the sale or privately. We're not big-time buyers, owners or breeders. We do it the best we can.”

Murray, a native New Yorker now living in Florida, had no prior knowledge of the racing business. After meeting Self and Krcmar, his interest piqued with more horse talk.

“I knew nothing about horses,” said Murray with a laugh. “I didn't even know what a halter was. Mary somehow talked me into going to the OBS [Ocala Breeders Sales] last summer, and she started telling me about the great bonuses you get for purchasing an Ontario-sired or Ontario-bred horse. So, we went off from there. She taught me how to read the pedigree books and everything else.

“I leave it up to Mary and her father when it comes to the conformation side of things. I stick with the paper. I'm like the Brad Pitt character in the movie Moneyball, analyzing the data and the competition. Somehow, our horses always seem to be in the top three.”

Murray has high praise for Krcmar, and not just for his training abilities.

“He's one of those people that will always help anyone. He treats his horses and people the same way. He's very humble, family-oriented, and someone who would give you the shirt off his back. He's a great person, someone you are proud to know and proud to work with.”

Just like those Murray worked alongside during his days as a Marine, a FDNY firefighter and an NYPD policeman. He was at ground zero the day of 9/11.

“We all went down there. They lost 343 people in the fire department… I can tell you that I've been to one too many funerals over the years, but it was an honor to serve in each role I had. I went from the police to the fire department, and that's how I finished out my career.”

Now retired and living in central Florida, horses have become his hobby. His ownership silks pay tribute to the firefighters that perished on Sep. 11, 2001.

“I had my niece design the colors, which are the colors of the Marines, the red and yellow. I have the Marines, my first career, and on the left sleeve is the NYPD, and on the right sleeve is the FDNY. On the blinkers, it has the number 343, out of respect for those from the fire department who died. I feel like… it's like they are rooting for me from heaven. As corny as it may sound, that's how I feel.”

Seeing those colors represented in the winner's circle for the first time was an emotional moment for Murray, Krcmar and Self. It was Make No Mistake, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Raison d'Etat, who provided the emotional score for her connections on Aug. 9, 2019.

“This sport, it can be a rollercoaster, but you just have to go into it knowing that,” said Murray. “But just that one time in the winner's circle… it's just an amazing feeling. There's really nothing else like it. We won our first race at Woodbine and we were there. I can't even describe that feeling.”

Although they weren't able to stand railside at Woodbine on July 31 this year, Make No Mistake added another memorable highlight. The dark bay skipped over the Inner Turf in 1:34.35 for one mile on that day, setting the track record in the process. It was one of four wins she had on the year for the trio.

It was another high point in a banner year for a veteran trainer. Nothing, not even the premature ending to the Woodbine Thoroughbred season due to COVID-19, could take away from Krcmar's outstanding 2020 campaign.

“My dad, he just takes it all in stride,” offered Self. “You know, they are just doing what they have to do. He's so flexible and easy about everything. I think that's why people like him the way they do. One of our horses got claimed this year and I asked my dad, 'What are we going to do?' He said to me, 'Listen, it's all part of the sport. It's okay.' My dad, he doesn't want to claim from anyone. He doesn't want to take the horse away from someone. He did claim two from Mark Casse this year, but he went and asked if it was okay to do it. He smiles every day he is at the racetrack and around his horses.”

For now, Krcmar will attempt to relax, something, admittedly, that is often easier said than done. Not surprisingly, his association with horses will stay strong over the winter months.

“My son has a big show stable in Aurora, so I'm going to go there and help any way I can, something to keep myself busy, teaching and coaching.”

Krcmar will also no doubt think about the 2021 racing season at Woodbine, which will be his final one as a trainer.

“Two wins away from 100? I will get that. I want to pass that. Hopefully, next year will be the same as this year. I would be happy with that. It was a wonderful year. My wife, she is my stakes horse. Without her, I wouldn't be able to do this. She just never stops and she takes such good care of the horses. She keeps me going too.

“I still love it, or otherwise I would have quit a long time ago. I'm happy if I have a horse in a stakes race, the same way I'm happy if I have a horse in a $15,000 claimer. It's exactly the same feeling. I just love my horses.”

And it's obvious the horses love to run for Krcmar.

“They really do,” said Self. “I always think to myself, 'Can you imagine being almost 80, getting up every morning and doing what you love?' But that's what my dad has done. He defected from a Communist country. He came to Canada with two dollars and he was able to keep his bond with the horses.”

It's a bond that Krcmar treasures.

“Horses gave me a life in this country. If I didn't have that, I'd probably be working in a chemical plant and be an unhappy guy. But I have done something that has brought me great joy. Always be good to your horses, and don't push them. They are like crystal and that's how they should be treated.”

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