Harlan's Holiday nominees include Pegasus World Cup hopefuls
Pegasus World Cup (G1) hopefuls Simplification, O’Connor, Skippylongstocking and Super Corinto are four of the 17 horses nominated for the Grade 3, $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday, to be run next Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
And Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) two-time defending champion Colonel Liam is one of 29 nominations for the Fort Lauderdale (G2), also contested on New Year’s Eve.
Simplification, winner of the Fountain of Youth (G2) and fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), would be racing for the first time since finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. nominated Skippylongstocking, third in the Belmont Stakes, and O’Connor, an impressive winner of his only U.S. start Oct. 16. Super Corinto, like O’Connor, is a South American import. He is expected to train up to the Pegasus.
Colonel Liam will be trying to win the Pegasus World Cup Turf for the third consecutive year. He scratched from a race Dec. 15 that came off the turf, so the Fort Lauderdale would be his first start since a ninth-place finish March 26 in the Dubai Turf (G1). City Man, winner of the Forbidden Apple (G3), has four works at Payson Park since winning the Mohawk Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 30.
Trainer Mike Maker, who saddled Zulu Alpha to victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf in 2020, has nine horses nominated for the Fort Lauderdale, including Knickerbocker (G3) winner King Cause, Mac Diarmida (G2) winner Temple, and 2021 Seabiscuit (G2) winner Field Pass.
Gulfstream’s New Year's Eve program also includes the $125,000 Mr. Prospector (G3), $125,000 Sugar Swirl (G3), $125,000 Suwannee River (G3), and $125,000 Rampart.
On Thursday, Mark Breen’s Endorsed, fourth in last year’s Pegasus World Cup behind Life Is Good, Knicks Go and Stilleto Boy, drove past Legends Can’t Die and Paco’s Pico to win the seventh race, an allowance optional claimer. The 6-year-old, trained by Mike Maker, covered seven furlongs in 1:22.44 while winning for the first time since May 2020.
Multiple Grade 1 stakes placed Dr Post, making his first start this year, was no factor and finished eighth as the beaten favorite.