Stanford rolls wire-to-wire style in the Harlan’s Holiday
More than six months off? No problem at all for the four-year-old son of Malibu Moon, Stanford. In a race that could well serve as a feeder to the world’s richest race, the Pegasus World Cup, the Todd Pletcher-trained bay colt had things all his own way, in route to a simple three-length, front running victory in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday today at Gulfstream Park.
Sent off as the slight second choice at 9-5, despite not running since a disappointing result in the Grade 1 Met Mile back in June, Stanford came right out of the gate running under rider, John Velazquez. Making the most of their rail post position, he was soon out in front, more than happy to play a game of catch me if you can. On paper, it looked like Awesome Slew possessed the early speed to make it interesting early on, but the three-year-old was never pressured to join the leader on the front end. His task made just a little easier by that fact, Stanford cruised down the Gulfstream backstretch through unpressured splits of :24.61, :48.94, and 1:12.46.
As the field of seven approached the turn for home, the three other graded stakes winners in the field; Awesome Slew, Keen Ice, and Madefromlucky all loomed in with a chance, but Stanford had not even been asked for his best yet. Keen Ice, also trained by Pletcher, and making his first start since a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, had the best chance, as he had been asked for a bit earlier run than usual, but the race quickly became for second money. When Johnny V asked Stanford to go at the top of the lane, he powerfully sprinted away from his competition, and cruised to the wire an impressive winner.
“He broke really well and got to the first turn easy,” said the happy winning rider. “I just waited to see how he did on the lead. He did it really easy. He runs hard all the time. I see it the mornings, too. He was fresh and even when I asked him down the lane he wanted to run. He did start pricking his ears and I had to get into him a little bit to keep his mind focused. But when [Keen Ice] came to him galloping out, my horse galloped out really well.”
In the battle for second place money, Keen Ice, the race favorite, maintained a small advantage over Awesome Slew to the wire, to complete a Todd Pletcher exacta. The Hall of Fame trainer’s third runner, Madefromlucky, finished a clear fourth, while also returning from a sizable layoff.
Final time for the 8 ½-furlongs over the fast main track at Gulfstream was a solid 1:42.10. Stanford returned $5.50, $3.20, and $2.40 across the board to his many backers. The exacta, with the favorite second, was good for $13.60, while the 1-6-4 trifecta, completed by Awesome Slew, paid $33.40.
Stanford was a similar type of commanding, front running winner of the rich Charles Town Classic two starts back. With the victory, he raised his lifetime record to 13-5-4-0. Purchased as a two-year-old in training for $550,000, and owned in partnership by Stonestreet Stable and the team of Magnier, Tabor, and Smith, he brought his career earnings to a healthy total of $1,197,560.
As for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup, scheduled for January 28 at Gulfstream Park, Todd Pletcher said, “All three with maybe the undercard race [$400,000 Poseidon] for Madefromlucky. I’ll talk to the connections for him. But Stanford and Keen Ice certainly ran well enough to consider the Pegasus.”