2.05.02	Sue Lustig photo
		Starlight Stables's Harlan's Holiday (above), prepping for the Feb. 16 Fountain Of Youth Stakes (GI), breezed five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 flat at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Ken McPeek-trained son of Harlan finished the move strongly without significant urging from regular rider Tony D'amico, who was in the saddle for the work.

McPeek Three Year Olds Pepper Gulfstream's Work Tab
By, Jill Byrne

Many Kentucky Derby (GI) contenders were active on the work tabs over the past week preparing for upcoming stakes.

At Gulfstream Park, Kenny McPeek-trained Harlan's Holiday, pointing for the Feb. 16 Fountain Of Youth Stakes (GI) worked a bullet five-eighths of a mile in 1:00 flat on Feb. 5 with regular rider Tony D'Amico in the irons. The son of Harlan was asked to finish strongly, which he did without a lot of urging. Harlan's Holiday is coming off a second-place finish to Booklet in the Jan. 19 Holy Bull Stakes.

Repent, a son of Louis Quatorze who is also trained by Kentucky native McPeek, worked in company with the Dehere filly Take Charge Lady on February 6, going five-eighths of a mile in a bullet :58 and galloping out in 1:11 4/5. D'Amico was aboard the stakes-wining filly, who out-finished Repent by a half-length. McPeek's exercise girl was asking Repent aggressively from the three-eighths pole throughout the gallop out, suggesting his connections were looking to sharpen a colt that prefers to run from off the pace.

Also at Gulfstream on February 6, Changeintheweather, a promising colt on the 2002 Derby Trail from Canadian-based trainer David Bell's barn, put in a bullet six-furlong move from the gate in 1:11 with jockey Jorge Chavez in the boot. The well-bred son of Gone West out of the Pleasant Colony mare Meteor Colony was impressive in that he showed good speed and finished strongly, galloping out without a lot of urging.

Whirlaway Entrants Prepare At Laurel, Belmont

Two colts preparing for the 23rd running of the Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 9 put in entirely different workouts.

At Laurel Race Course, Saratoga Blues, a Twining colt who is owned by Alvin Akman, went a blistering half-mile in :47 3/5, with the next fastest work on the tab being :49. The Tony Dutrow-trained colt will make his 2002 debut in the Whirlaway Stakes coming off a pair of two-turn wins as a juvenile. He will hook stakes company for the first time in the mile and a sixteenth Whirlaway.

At Belmont, G Three Stables' Smoked Em, a Smoke Glacken colt who is trained by Todd Pletcher, went an easy five-eighths in 1:03 3/5, well within himself in a maintenance move.

Smoked Em, who just won a mile and a sixteenth allowance race at Aqueduct on Jan. 20, was not needing a vigorous move, whereas Saratoga Blues, who missed a race due to a weather cancellation, needed a good tightener.

Saratoga Blues and Smoked Em, who will have to contend with Shug McGaughey's promising colt D'Coach in the Whirlaway, will break from posts one and two, respectively, in the $75,000 stakes.

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