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Ghostzapper Gelding Shows No Fear in Harlan’s Holiday

Repole Stable's Fearless (Ghostzapper) ran to the money as the 3-5 chalk in Saturday's GIII Harlan's Holiday S., the local prep for the upcoming $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 29.

Drawn widest of all in post six, he tracked a pair of dueling leaders in a dream spot in third as they made their way up the backstretch. This term's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Feb. 27 winner revved up three wide rounding the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and took care of business from there to score by a facile four lengths over South Bend (Algorithms). The pacesetting dual Canadian Classic winner Mighty Heart (Dramedy) was third.

Trained throughout his career by Todd Pletcher, Mike Repole purchased Fearless, previously a $725,000 KEESEP yearling, for $205,000 at this summer's Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale following a second-place finish behind next out GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. winner Silver State (Hard Spun) in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 17 and a third-place finish as the favorite in the GIII Pimlico Special Match Series S. May 14. He resurfaced with a second-place finish as the chalk once again in his first start for Repole in a local $60,000 handicap Nov. 21. Fearless previously carried the colors of CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm.

Will we see Fearless next in the Pegasus?

“That's all up to Todd,” Pletcher's assistant trainer Anthony Sciametta said. “The horse is moving forward. He's run two good races and come back good from his vacation. That's all we can ask for.”

Pletcher was not present at Gulfstream Saturday due to family obligations.

Pedigree Notes:

Fearless is one of 89 stakes/48 graded winners for Hall of Famer Ghostzapper. He is also one of 102 stakes/53 graded winners for the late Street Cry as a broodmare sire.

Fearless's dam And Why Not, who hit the board over seven furlongs as a juvenile in the 2011 GI Spinaway S. and over 10 panels in the 2013 GI Delaware H., hails from one of the deepest families in the stud book.

Second dam is GSP Alchemist, in turn the dam of GSW Far From Over (Blame), and GISW third dam Aldiza produced one graded winner and the dams of two others. Fearless's fifth dam is none other than 1983 Broodmare of the Year Courtly Dee (Never Bend).

And Why Not has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Marzipan (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a yearling filly by Blame ($500,000 KEESEP purchase by Juddmonte). She was bred to Gun Runner for 2022.

Saturday, Gulfstream
HARLAN'S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 12-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:42.19, ft.
1–FEARLESS, 123, g, 5, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: And Why Not (MGISP, $262,965), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Alchemist, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Aldiza, by Storm Cat
($725,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP; $120,000 RNA 4yo '20 FTKHRA;
$205,000 5yo '21 FTKHRA). O-Repole Stable; B-Helen K.
Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez.
$92,070. Lifetime Record: 11-5-3-1, $576,550. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
*1/2 to Just Whistle (Pioneerof the Nile), SW & MGSP,
$260,865.
2–South Bend, 121, c, 4, Algorithms–Sandra's Rose, by Old
Trieste. ($47,000 RNA Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $70,000 2yo '19
OBSMAR). O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch,
& Pantofel Stable, LLC; B-Highclere Inc. (KY); T-William I.
Mott. $29,700.
3–Mighty Heart, 126, c, 4, Dramedy–Emma's Bullseye, by
City Place. O/B-Lawrence Cordes (ON); T-Josie Carroll.
$14,850.
Margins: 4, 1 1/4, 7 1/4. Odds: 0.60, 6.20, 2.30.
Also Ran: Blue Steel, Twenty Twice, Eye of a Jedi.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Into Mischief Fillies Put on a Show in Sugar Swirl

Center Aisle (Into Mischief) and 'TDN Rising Star' Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) ran hard every step of the way in Saturday's six-furlong GIII Sugar Swirl S. at Gulfstream, and, after throwing down in the stretch, it was the former coming away with a hard-fought, one-length victory for a career high.

Perched four-wide beneath Luis Saez as four of them lined up–including favored MGSW & MGISP Frank's Rockette who was racing under fire in between runners–through an opening quarter in a sharp :21.72, Center Aisle poked a head in front approaching the quarter pole.

The classy duo emerged clear from the field of eight as they straightened for home, and, after putting on a nice show down the lane, the 2-1 second-choice Center Aisle edged clear late from her ultra-game rival in a race that didn't deserve a loser.

Center Aisle, a sharp debut winner at Gulfstream for Chad Brown last March, completed the trifecta behind Frank's Rockette in last term's GIII Victory Ride S. at Belmont as well as the GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. Transferred to Paulo Lobo for her 4-year-old campaign, the bay scored in front-running fashion in her first two tries this season–a sloppy Keeneland allowance Oct. 15 over a next-out winner and an optional claimer at Churchill Downs last time Nov. 20, respectively.

Lobo said that the plan is to send Center Aisle back to Kentucky for a freshening before returning to South Florida for the seven-furlong GII Inside Information S. at Gulfstream Jan. 29.

“She was coming into this race ready from two very nice races,” Lobo said. “She's a very special mare. I think she has a bright future. I felt good because the body language of Saez, she looked very comfortable outside and when they came home, my feeling was very good.”

Saez added, “The other filly was running pretty fast. But I had a lot of horse, and we came to the top of the stretch, she gave me another kick. At that point, we knew we had horse to fight, and she did it. She did it pretty impressively.”

Pedigree Notes:

Center Aisle, a $1.5-million FTFMAR purchase by Larry Best's OXO Equine and the highest-priced filly out of that sale after breezing a quarter in a powerful :20 3/5, becomes the 105th stakes winner/46th graded stakes winner for her all-conquering sire Into Mischief. She becomes the 65th stakes winner/29th graded winner for her late broodmare sire Empire Maker.

The Into Mischief/Empire Maker cross is also responsible for GI TVG.com Haskell S. winner via disqualification and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun.

Juddmonte homebred Specification, a maiden of two career starts, produced a colt by Goldencents this year and was bred back to Vino Rosso.

The winner's dam is a half-sister to dual GI Pacific Classic winner Skimming (Nureyev). She is out of five-time graded stakes victress Skimble (Lyphard).

Specification was a $37,000 Keeneland November purchase by Todd and Shawn Hansen in 2017 when followed into the ring by then-weanling Center Aisle.

Saturday, Gulfstream
SUGAR SWIRL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.54, ft.
1–CENTER AISLE, 120, f, 4, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Specification, by Empire Maker
                2nd Dam: Skimble, by Lyphard
                3rd Dam: Nimble Folly, by Cyane
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($165,000
Wlg '17 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo
'19 FTFMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY);
T-Paulo H. Lobo; J-Luis Saez. $60,140. Lifetime Record:
8-4-0-3, $263,190. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 122, f, 4, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Frank
Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $19,400.
3–Bronx Beauty, 120, m, 6, Liaison–Forever Sunshine, by
Rockport Harbor. ($250,000 6yo '21 KEENOV). O-Breeze
Easy, LLC; B-Blackstone Farm LLC (PA); T-Anthony R.
Margotta, Jr. $9,700.
Margins: 1, 5, 2. Odds: 2.10, 1.10, 6.40.
Also Ran: Music City Star, Loriloupies, Sosua, Quinoa Tifah, Compensate. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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American Pharoah’s Sweet Melania Ends Drought in Suwannee River

Robert and Lawana Low's Sweet Melania (American Pharoah), without a victory in 18 months, broke through to record her first win of the 2021 season in Saturday's GIII Suwannee River S. at Gulfstream.

She jumped well from her outside draw in post 10 to chase from second as favored Shifty She (Gone Astray) sped off on a clear advantage. Sweet Melania, off at 6-1, set her sights on the pacesetter beneath John Velazquez at the top of the stretch, hit the front shortly thereafter and had a half-length over that game foe at the wire. It was another half-length back to In a Hurry (Blame) in third.

Sweet Melania, heroine of the 2019 GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. at Keeneland and 2020 GIII Wonder Again S. at Belmont and also the third-place finisher in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita, was winless in five prior tries this season. She hit the board in her three most recent attempts, including a second-place finish in the One Dreamer S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 9 and another runner-up effort in a Keeneland allowance last time Oct. 15. The chestnut hadn't had her picture taken since the Wonder Again last June.

“She was super sharp coming into it,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I loved the way she was training and she got a beautiful ride from Johnny. It was a good setup, and I thought she ran a good race. I felt like she had been rounding back into form and had some good performances and just didn't quite get there. She did seem super sharp, and we were hoping for an improved performance.”

Pletcher added that Sweet Melania would be under consideration for the $500,000 GIIII Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Jan. 29.

Pedigree Notes:

Sweet Melania, a $600,000 KEESEP graduate, is one of 23 stakes winners and 12 graded winners from Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. She is one of 12 stakes winners and three graded winners for broodmare sire Discreet Cat.

The E. Paul Robsham-bred SW & GSP Sweet N Discreet did not produce a foal in 2018 and her 2019 Carpe Diem filly died. She had a Liam's Map colt in 2020 ($200,000 KEESEP purchase by Jackpot Farm) and a filly by American Pharoah this year. She was bred back to Tapit.

Sweet N Discreet, a $1.1-million purchase by Crupi's New Castle Farm on behalf of Sweet Melania's breeder St. Elias Stables at the 2014 FTKNOV sale, brought $1.6 million from Mt. Brilliant Farm, in foal to Liam's Map, at Fasig-Tipton November in 2019.

Sweet N Discreet is a full-sister to GSW and GISP Discreet Dancer and a half to GSW Travelin Man (Trippi).

Saturday, Gulfstream
SUWANNEE RIVER S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, :00.00, fm.
1–SWEET MELANIA, 121, f, 4, by American Pharoah
                1st Dam: Sweet N Discreet (SW & GSP, $366,447), by Discreet Cat
                2nd Dam: West Side Dancer, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Bering Cruise, by Danzig
   ($600,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Lawana L. & Robert E. Low;
B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R.
Velazquez. $57,660. Lifetime Record: GISP, 15-4-4-4,
$571,210. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for
   the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Shifty She, 125, m, 5, Gone Astray–Perilous Hope, by
Strong Hope. O-Pedigree Partners LLC; B-Chris Pallas &
George Klein (FL); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $18,600.
3–In a Hurry, 121, f, 4, Blame–Scampering, by Afleet Alex.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Stuart S.
Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $9,300.
Margins: HF, HF, 2HF. Odds: 6.80, 2.30, 5.90.
Also Ran: Keeper of Time (Ire), Summering, Kelsey's Cross, Alms, Dawn's Dancer, Princess Causeway, Classic Lady, Quiet Company, La Babia.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Runhappy Gelding Runs up the Score Again; Garners Rising Stardom

Jay Em Ess Stable's Happy Medium (Runhappy) dominated for a third consecutive time Saturday to become the third 'TDN Rising Star' for the heating-up Runhappy. Third in his seven-panel unveiling here back in March, the $300,000 KEESEP yearling and May 20 foal resurfaced at Belmont Sept. 30 to air by 9 1/4 lengths and earn a gaudy 103 Beyer Speed Figure. He was flattered when three runners who finished behind him that day returned to graduate, and further validated his big win with a five-length allowance score in the local slop Nov. 13.

Off at 3-5 this time taking on older and far more seasoned rivals, the bay was scrubbed on from the rail to rush up and take command. He was able to clear off and settle a bit through splits of :22.14 and :45.05, and was all by his lonesome as he swung for home with a sizeable advantage. Wudda U Think Now (Fast Anna)–a four-time winner coming off a career-best 94 Beyer–gave chase in the lane, but Happy Medium strolled home in a race of his own to report under the wire a wrapped-up seven-length winner in 1:15.88.

Happy Medium's score comes on the heels of an impressive victory by Runhappy's juvenile 'Rising Star' Smile Happy in the Nov. 27 GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. and a close second in the GI Cigar Mile H. here Dec. 4 by Grade II winner and MGISP 'Rising Star' Following Sea.

The winner is half to Mendip (Harlan's Holiday), MGSW-UAE, $895,961; Paddle Board (Harlan's Holiday), GSP, $183,774; Dig Deep (Candy Ride (ARG)), SW, $125,600; and a yearling filly by Practical Joke. His 20-year-old dam, who is a daughter of MGISW Chaposa Springs (Baldski), was bred to Mastery for 2022. Breeder Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stable was recently represented as co-breeder of both the GII Demoiselle S. and GII Remsen S. winners here.

4th-Aqueduct, $84,000, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 12-18, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:15.88, ft, 7 lengths.
HAPPY MEDIUM, g, 3, Runhappy
                1st Dam: Well Spring, by Coronado's Quest
                2nd Dam: Chaposa Springs, by Baldski
                3rd Dam: La Chaposa (Per), by Ups (Per)
Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $150,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Jay Em Ess Stable; B-Colts Neck Stables LLC (KY); T-Michelle Nevin. *$300,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP.

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