Easy Blue Grass Win Vaults Harlan's Holiday Into Derby Favortism
By, Lane Gold

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2002) - Facing just five opponents and some questions if he'd successfully go 1 ¼ miles in the first Saturday in May, Harlan's Holiday left little doubt that he is the early Kentucky Derby (GI) favorite after an easy victory in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (GI) at Keeneland Race Courese.

The Ohio-bred son of Harlan collared his Florida nemesis - the John Ward trained Booklet - at the top of the stretch and, after getting a crack of the whip from jockey Edgar Prado, drew off down the lane for the 4 ½-length win. He covered the 1 1/8-miles in a slow 1:51.51.

"I wouldn't trade him for any other horse so far," Prado said. "He's proved that he can run against these horses. He can go a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth.

I was happy with his performance today. He has two runs. He breaks running out of the gate. You can place him anywhere you want. You have the opportunity to go through a hole or push somebody else to get position, he will do that and settle back again. Then you can ask him in the stretch and he'll give you another run. He's a very easy horse to ride."

The victory by Harlan's Holiday, who is trained Ken McPeek, who earlier in the week lost his other Derby hopeful, Repent, to a chip in his ankle, has now won six of 10 races having finished worse than second. Harlan's Holiday paid $3.40, $2.20 and $2.10 as the 3-5 favorite. Booklet returned $3.00 and $2.40; Ocean Sound, who finished a neck off Booklet in third, paid $2.80 to show.

"These horses have battled all year," said McPeek. "We've seen this same scenario over and over again. I felt we had the advantage today. The extra sixteenth (of a mile) has made the difference between Harlan's Holiday and Booklet. Booklet is a very good opponent, and I'm glad we evened it up here."

After the afternoon's prep races, Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia said Harlan's Holiday would be the lukewarm 5-1 morning line favorite for the Kentucky Derby with the Wood Memorial (GI) 1-2-3 finishers (Buddha, Medaglia d'Oro and Sunday Break) also getting strong consideration.

The Blue Grass unfolded as most people speculated, as the Dallas Stewart-trained Bob's Image and Booklet battled for the early lead while Harlan's Holiday dropped back to fourth. On the far turn, Prado guided Harlan's Holiday to the outside and began his run to the winner's circle.

"Edgar mentioned to me in the paddock that he wanted to put him in position early in the race," McPeek said. "It looked like he tried to get him out of the gate and then go with the other horses. I didn't want to get into a position where we were too far behind. Edgar rode him perfectly."

Only Harlan's Holiday has committed to running in the Kentucky Derby. The connections of Booklet, who produced Derby 127 victor Monarchos, are uncertain about their colt's future.

"The thing that would make us run in the Kentucky Derby is the attrition over the next couple of weeks," Ward said. "You are not going to take yourself out of the game early. But it will be up to Mr. Oxley (owner, John). Harlan's Holiday is an extremely solid horse on an upward curve. It looks like we have the second-best horse right now. I am just glad we beat him twice."

Two-time Derby winning trainer Trainer Nick Zito, who saddled Straight Gin to a fourth-place finish in the Blue Grass, was also unsure about the Kentucky Derby for his charge.

"The horse ran well," Zito said. "I wish we were second. There would be no doubt about the Derby if we were second. He could have been second were it not for all the trouble at the start when he got squeezed. The Preakness (GI) is in five weeks, so we might go there. He is a real mile and a quarter horse and when you have one, it is hard to find races for them."

Bob's Image, who was coming off a fifth-place in the Louisiana Derby (GII), pulled his left front suspensory in the race while finishing fifth of six.

Lane Gold is the publicity manager for Churchill Downs.

« Back To Derby News