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Tax Returns With a Vengeance In Harlan’s Holiday; Pegasus World Cup Next?

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Hugh Lynch's Tax returned to winning form in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), scoring a dominating 4 ½ -length victory while stamping himself as a prime candidate for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, was one of five stakes on Saturday's program, which was headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1).

Tax, a prominent player on the 2019 Road to the Triple Crown, had been winless since capturing the 2019 Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga until he broke through with a dazzling front-running score Saturday that threatened the track record for 1 1/16 miles.

“We have really, really been high on him. 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,” Gargan said. “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.”

Unraced since finishing fifth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap – his only start since finishing off-the-board in last year's Pegasus World Cup – Tax went right to the front under jockey Luis Saez after breaking from the No. 1 post position and was never threatened thereafter. The 4-year-old gelded son of Arch completed 1 1/16-miles in 1:41.15 while being under wraps for the final sixteenth of a mile, missing Social Inclusion's 2014 track record of 1:40.96 by less than a fifth of a second.

“I could feel that he was doing great. He was ready. He was pretty focused in the gate and he broke so sharp. He took the lead and controlled the pace and at the five-eighths, I felt like I had a lot of horse,” Saez said. “When we came to the stretch and he changed leads, he took off. He was very comfortable the whole way. I knew I had a lot of horse. We were just saving him for the next time. I could feel that we were going fast, but he was so comfortable. He loves to run, and we let him run.”

Next time could quite likely come in the Pegasus World Cup, in which he stumbled at the start and wasn't able to recover last year.

“I'll have to talk to Dean [Reeves] and Randy [Hill] and Hugh Lynch,” Gargan said. “I'm blessed that they're been so patient. He's only run two times this year. We turned him out and had a couple of misfortunes that we didn't get to run. Having great owners like those guys really helps you develop a horse into a good horse.”

Eye of a Jedi closed from far back to finish second under Marcos Meneses, a half-length ahead of 2-1 favorite Phat Man, who stalked the early pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. but was unable to mount a serious challenge.

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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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Equibase Analysis: Majestic Dunhill Vs. Phat Man In Bold Ruler

A strong field of six sprinters takes to the track in the Grade 3, $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Majestic Dunhill and Phat Man lead the field in terms of top efforts in these types of races. Majestic Dunhill won the City of Laurel Stakes earlier in his career before a runner-up effort in the G3 General George and most recently missed by a head at the distance at Belmont in preparation for this race. Phat Man, who returns from an eight month rest, leads the field in earnings, having banked more than a half-million, and won the G3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes in January.

Arch Cat has won 13 career races, the most in the field, and was competitive at the level last fall when second in the Dave's Friend Stakes. Share the Ride won the Mr. Prospector Stakes last month and appears to fit nicely with these. Mihos won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in January 2019 but his only win since then came in April, and he was beaten nearly two lengths last month when third behind Majestic Dunhill. Wendell Fong won three of his first four races including the Gold Fever Stakes in May, 2019, but is winless in six races since then.

Majestic Dunhill gets preference over Phat Man as the one to beat in this year's Bold Ruler Handicap because he has won once at this seven furlong trip and been in the top three five times while Phat Man is trying the distance for the first time. Majestic Dunhill made his 2020 debut in April and finished third, then was entered in the G1 Carter Handicap in June but was scratched in favor of the First Defence Stakes the following day. Rallying strongly from sixth in a 13 horse field, Majestic Dunhill nearly posted the 11 to 1 upset in that race, earning a career-best 110 Equibase Speed Figure in the process, before two poorer efforts. However, Majestic Dunhill returned to strong competitive form last month when leading late and beaten a neck on the wire in a race at this distance at Belmont which appears to set him up for a top effort in the Bold Ruler.

Phat Man hasn't been seen since February but has run well of layoffs, as when second in December of last year and second last August. Since adding blinkers in the summer of 2019, Phat Man has won or placed in four of five races. The last two before the layoff were the best of his career, first winning the Fred W. Hooper Stakes then when second in the Gulfstream Park Mile. Both efforts earned the same 110 figures Majestic Dunhill earned in his best effort. With a series of strong workouts in the morning for his return to the races, Phat Man could easily pick up where he left off in the winter and be a force to reckon with in this race.

Arch Cat won three of four races this year but was disqualified from one of them. He won six of 15 last year and in seven of his last eight races earned figures from 101 to 108 so it appears he could be competitive with the main contenders here. His win in August was at this seven furlong distance and trainer Velazquez doesn't ship often from his base in Delaware but has won two of three at Belmont this year. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche rode Arch Cat to victory the last three times he was in the saddle and given the right scenario, Arch Cat could be capable of posting the mild upset in the Bold Ruler.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Mihos (102), Share the Ride (108) and Wendell Fong (108).

Win Contenders:
Majestic Dunhill
Phat Man
Arch Cat

Bold Ruler Handicap – Grade 3
Race 9 at Belmont Park
Saturday, October 31 – Post Time 4:57 PM E.T.
Seven Furlongs
Three Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $100,000

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