Spectacular Wins, Shocking Defeats All Part Of The Visa Triple Crown Trail

Two impressive victories and a stunning defeat turned the limelight onto three new winners on the Visa Triple Crown trail over the weekend and left a former leading light for the Visa Triple Crown and $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge in limbo.

Racking up the big wins were HARLAN’S HOLIDAY, already a two-time runner-up in Florida graded stakes this winter, and MAYAKOVSKY, who was last seen finishing second to CAME HOME in last year’s Grade I Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga. HARLAN’S HOLIDAY dominated a field of 11 in Saturday’s Grade I Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and MAYAKOVSKY swept to an impressive victory in Sunday’s Grade II Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

Victim of the stunning loss was Siphonic as his season of stumbles continued with a fading third-place finish in Sunday’s Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Author of the upset was non-nominee Medaglia D’oro, whose victory, in his first start for new owner Edmund Gann and trainer Robert Frankel, caused quite a sensation at the Southern California track.

Joining those three winners on a weekend that each year begins to separate the major contenders from the rest of the crop, were ETHAN MAN, who captured Saturday’s Grade III Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and EQUALITY, the victor in Sunday’s Grade III Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.

Harlan's Holiday Steps Up In Florida Derby -- In the Florida Derby, HARLAN’S HOLIDAY, owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf’s Starlight Stable and trained by Ken McPeek, stalked the leaders as Holy Bull Stakes and Fountain of Youth winner BOOKLET was engaged in a killing speed duel with SMOOTH JAZZ. As the field headed toward the quarter pole and SMOOTH JAZZ began to fade, the winner went sailing smoothly to the lead and drew off easily in the stretch to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Kinsman Stable’s BLUE BURNER, trained by Bill Mott, finished second and PEEKSKILL, owned by Guy and Diane Snowden and trained by Anthony Reinstedler, finished third. BOOKLET, owned by John Oxley and trained by John Ward Jr., last year’s winning Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby combination with Monarchos, was fourth.

McPeek, who also trains highly rated Visa Triple Crown contender and Louisiana Derby-winning REPENT for Feye and Jerry Bach’s Select Stable, says he’s not going to make a decision on the next start for his trainees until later in the month.

Perhaps the biggest disappointments in the race were NOKOMA, owned by Michael Tabor and trained by Todd Pletcher, and Buckram Oak Farm’s HIGH STAR, trained by Nick Zito. NOKOMA finished seventh and HIGH STAR, whom Zito said bled in the race, was eighth.

In the day’s supporting feature, ETHAN MAN, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Patrick Byrne, scored a solid victory over LISTEN HERE in the 7-furlong Swale. GOVERNOR HICKEL was third.

Mayakovsky Sharp Off Layoff In New York -- Following MAYAKOVSKY’S victory in the Gotham, a cautious trainer Patrick Biancone wasn’t willing to plunge full speed ahead toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, but did say he would allow himself some Derby dreams before settling down to map out the horse’s next start for owner Michael Tabor. The distance capability of the colt, a son of speedy Matty G, has been suspect, so the one-mile Gotham was chosen to see if that distance suited him and if the Aqueduct oval was the right course for him. Biancone, who will ship the colt back to his Santa Anita base before making a decision on his next race, said the dark bay runner could show up next in the Grade I Wood Memorial on April 13.

A likely contestant, also, in the Wood will be Gotham runner-up SAARLAND, owned by Cynthia Phipps and trained by C.R. “Shug” McGaughey III. The son of 1990 Kentucky Derby victor Unbridled made a solid run down the stretch to finish a well-clear second in what was his first race since winning the Grade II Remsen on Nov. 24. Non-nominee Parade Music was third.

All Frankel, All The Time -- In the obvious shocker of the weekend, Medaglia D’oro, bought privately by Gann after his LABAMTA BABE went on the shelf following his victory over Siphonic in Santa Anita’s Santa Catalina Stakes and in Frankel’s barn for about a month, rated kindly behind odds-on favorite Siphonic and then took command coming down stretch to post a 2 1/2-length victory in the San Felipe. The tiring favorite faded to third, 3 1/2 lengths behind runner-up U S S Tinosa.

The winner was making only his third career start but under world-record rider Laffit Pincay Jr. he looked highly professional as he relinquished the lead to the David Hofmans-trained Siphonic and then stalked the leader until he made his move running to the eighth pole. Frankel and Gann both said the El Prado colt would be a late nomination to the Visa Triple Crown. The late-nomination deadline, with a fee of $6,000, is March 30.

Frankel said his trainee would go eastward for his next start, heading for either Keeneland’s Toyota Blue Grass Stakes or Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial, both Grade I events and both on April 13.

No next step was indicated for Siphonic, owned by Amerman Racing’s John and Jerry Amerman, who, ironically, also have horses with trainer Frankel. A disheartened Hofmans said the colt would be re-evaluated before deciding what the next move might be. Jockey Jerry Bailey expressed disappointment, saying his mount didn’t have any punch for the run to the finish line.

Pin Oak, Motion Have Big Day In Tampa Bay -- At Tampa, EQUALITY, owned by Pin Oak Farm and trained by Graham Motion, was a solid winner over non-nominee Tails of the Crypt. POLITICAL ATTACK, owned by Brereton C. Jones and trained by John Hennig, finished third.

Request For Parole Heads Into Seasons' Toughest Test -- With two stakes wins already under his belt at Turfway Park, Request For Parole will get his sternest test of the Visa Triple Crown season on Saturday as he tackles an expected field of seven or eight in the Grade II, $500,000 Lane’s End Spiral Stakes at the Northern Kentucky track.

Owned by Jeri and Sam Knighton and trained by Stephen Margolis, Request For Parole has claimed the WEBN Frog Stakes and the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway and now he appears ready to step up to the next level as he tackles graded-stakes company for the first time this year. Though he’s been something of an unknown quantity because of his route along the Visa Triple Crown trail, the son of Judge T C is no stranger to graded stakes activity, having posted runner-up finishes in two graded events at Churchill Downs last fall as a 2-year-old.

And to whom did he finish second? HARLAN’S HOLIDAY beat him in the Grade III Iroquois Stakes and REPENT victimized him in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club. Earlier, the colt, finished fifth in the Grade II Lane’s End Futurity at Keeneland behind Siphonic and HARLAN’S HOLIDAY. So there’s been no dearth of heavy competition for Request For Parole.

While none of those earlier antagonizers will be on the Turfway oval Saturday, the colt will be looking at some promising Visa Triple Crown prospects, including Perfect Drift, who lost by nose in the Battaglia and gets the services of Southern California-based Hall of Fame rider Eddie Delahoussaye for the Spiral; the Saratoga Blues; and HOLDTHEHELM, who was fifth as part of a blanket finish in Santa Anita’s Grade III Baldwin Stakes after stumbling at the start of the turf sprint. Jockey Mike Smith will journey from Southern California, also, for the mount.

Others expected for the race are GOLD DOLLAR, MY MAN RYAN and non-nominees Benny the Hawk and Straight Gin.

Field Of Eight Probable For Rebel -- The weekend’s other major event, the Grade III Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, figures to bring out a probable field of eight, also. Heading the field could be a pair – or even three – from the talent-rich stable of trainer Steve Asmussen. The most likely of Asmussen possibles are Private Emblem, a winner of a division of the track’s Southwest Stakes for owners James Cassels and Robert Zollars, and Team Valor’s Windward Passage, who finished third in the Southwest.

Coming in from the West Coast to tackle that pair is Ocean Sound, who finished fourth in Santa Anita’s San Rafael Stakes for trainer James Cassidy, who shipped in Jamaican Rum to finish second in last year’s Arkansas Derby. Another Visa Triple Crown nominee, JEREMIAH JACK, is expected, also for the 1 1/16-mile event.

Others prepping for Rebel are non-nominees Bay Monster, Cope With An Image, Dusty Spike and Missme.

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