Round Three For Booklet, Harlan's Holiday To Come In Florida Derby
By John Asher

SOUTHEAST (Florida) -- The rematch between the 1-2 finishers in Gulfstream Park's Holy Bull Stakes (Grade III) -- John Oxley's Booklet and Starlight Stable's Harlan's Holiday -- proved to be more compelling than the first. It definitely proved that Booklet is indeed a major contender for the Florida Derby (GI) on March 16 and Kentucky Derby 128 on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

Booklet led all the way under new jockey Jorge Chavez to win Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes (GI) at Gulfstream by a nose over the onrushing favorite Harlan's Holiday and jockey Tony D'Amico. The two rivals had been separated by three-quarters of a length in the Jan. 19 Holy Bull, but that race failed to convince many racing fans of Booklet's quality and the winner was allowed to escape at odds of 5-1 in the rematch.

"I call him the walk-on player," said Ward, who teamed with Oxley and Chavez to complete the Florida Derby-Kentucky Derby sweep with Monarchos in 2001. "He didn't get a scholarship, he doesn't have a fancy pedigree, he doesn't get all that much attention. But once he walks on the floor, he plays hard."

Booklet covered the 1 1/16-mile course in 1:44.49 on a track rated "wet fast" after an afternoon shower. Blue Burner finished five lengths farther back in third and was followed by Political Attack, Speed Hunter, Stephentown, Grey Beard and Maybry's Boy.

Booklet, a Florida-bred son of Notebook, now has a career record of 6-0-1 in seven races and earnings of $519,700. The consistent Harlan's Holiday, an Ohio-bred son of the late Harlan, is 4-4-0 in eight starts for trainer Ken McPeek. Ward and McPeek said that Round 3 in the developing rivalry will come in the Florida Derby.

The Fountain of Youth undercard saw surprise winners in a pair of allowance races with Kentucky Derby implications. American Style, a recent addition to the stable of two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito, scored a 4 1/2-length victory over favored Monarchoftheglen and Legislator in a 1 1/16-mile contest. Chavez was aboard the winner, who covered the distance in 1:44.81. Monarchoftheglen, a $1.5 million yearling who raced in Ireland at two and made his U.S. debut for trainer Niall O'Callaghan, broke slowly and finished well to secure the runner-up spot.

In the other allowance race, longshot Mountain Forum, dismissed at odds of 11-1 in a field reduced to four by scratches, nipped the heavily favored Zito-trainee High Star. It was another head back the pacesetting Changeintheweather, a Canadian star making his 2002 debut.

The Ron Spatz trainee stalked a dawdling pace and held off High Star's late charge. He covered the mile and 70 yards distance in 1:45.37 under jockey John Velazquez.

MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- Sunday's anticipated return to competition of Select Stable's Repent was a resounding success as the son of 1996 Preakness (GI) winner Louis Quatorze completed a remarkable weekend for trainer Ken McPeek.

Repent, who was making his first start since a victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs in late November, launched an explosive run through the long stretch at New Orleans' Fair Grounds to win the $150,000-added Risen Star Stakes (GIII). The odds-on favorite rallied from next-to-last in the field of nine to win by 2 1/4-lengths over the pacesetting Bob's Image. Lecomte Stakes winner Easyfromthegitgo was three lengths farther back in third, followed by French Assault, It'sallinthechase, War Emblem, Screen Idol, Sky Terrace and Willowgate.

"The long stretch was one of the reasons we came here," McPeek said. "It fits his running style and gives him time to get in gear."

The big run by Repent put a happy ending on a weekend that also saw the McPeek-trained Harlan's Holiday lose by a nose in the Fountain of Youth (GI) at Gulfstream Park and the 3-year-old filly Take Charge Lady score a dominating win in the Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds.

Repent circled the field eight-wide on the far turn on his way to the easy win under regular jockey Tony D'Amico. The colt completed the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:43.17 over a "fast" track.

"It was a quick pace in front of me and his running style is come-from-behind, so I didn't have anywhere to go," D'Amico said. "I didn't want to take a shot going through and getting shut off, so I just went around and I had plenty of horse left."

The win in the Risen Star improved Repent's career record to 4-1-1 in six races. He earned $90,000 for Sunday's win and his career earnings now total $505,660.

McPeek said he's not sure where Repent would run next, but he hinted that a return to New Orleans for the Louisiana Derby (GII) on March 10 is one of his options.

"He's a real special horse," McPeek said. "We just need to make sure we don't tap him out early in the year because there are a lot of big fish to be fried later on."

McPeek saddled Tejano Run to finish second in the 1995 Kentucky Derby.

On Saturday at the Fair Grounds, the promising World Trade scored a mild upset in a six furlong allowance race under Robby Albarado. The son of Storm Cat out of Daring Bidder covered the distance in 1:10.53 as he turned back the Steve Asmussen-trained entry of Lott and Wadsworth.

World Trade, owned by the partnership William S. Farish, E.J. Hudson and Madeleine Paulson and trained by Neil Howard, won by a half-length.

It's doubtful that another 3-year-old winner on the Saturday card in New Orleans will ever turn into a Kentucky Derby contender, but the true disappointment is that one of the winners is highly unlikely to make it to the Florida Derby. Ken and Sarah Ramsey's No More Chads, a Florida-bred son of Atticus, scored the first victory of his career in a 2 1/2-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile claiming race.

No More Chads, trained by Charles Simon, is one of the many members of his crop whose name was inspired by the disputed Florida vote tally in the 1999 presidential election. The term "chad" is shorthand for the small perforated portion of Florida's famed paper ballots in that election that became part of America's political lexicon. No More Chads defeated Chick Fever and Well Spoken, but we'll let you draw your own conclusions about political connections on those names.

At Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., Twining Dream survived a stretch duel with Ruling Star to win a six furlong allowance race by a neck under jockey James Lopez. Stormy Appeal was third and the favored Binyamin, runner-up in last year's Bashford Manor Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs, was fourth.

The winner, a son of Twining owned by the Millsap Stable and trained by Hal Wiggins, covered the distance on a "fast" track in 1:11.93. He is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown.

WEST (California) -- California's top Kentucky Derby contender, John and Jerry Amerman's Siphonic, missed a scheduled workout on Saturday, Feb. 16 after the colt developed a slight fever the day before.

The Daily Racing Form reported that the winner of the Hollywood Futurity (GI) and the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity was scheduled to work six furlongs for trainer David Hofmans. The colt, who was second after a rugged start in the Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita, is scheduled run next in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe (GII) at the Arcadia, Cal. track on March 17.

Hofmans told the DRF that Siphon's work would probably be scheduled toward the end of this week.

"He had just a little bit of a temperature," Hofmans told the Form. "We have so much time there's no use screwing anything up."

Siphonic, a son of Siphon who was third to the unbeaten Johannesburg in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Belmont Park, has a career record of 3-1-1 in five races and has earned $733,978.

EAST (New York, New Jersey, Maryland) -- Grover "Bud" Delp, who will forever be known as the man who trained 1978 Kentucky Derby winner Spectacular Bid, may have a late-blooming horse to watch in Robert Meyerhoff's Broom, a Broad Brush colt who won an allowance race on Saturday at Maryland's Laurel Park.

Broom, who is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown, won by 1 3/4-lengths under Ramon Dominguez as he held off the favored Just Justinian and covered the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:45.81.

Earlier on the Laurel card, the well-bred Billy Elliott, a Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown nominee, scored the first victory of his career as he won a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. The son of Saint Ballado, owned by William Sorokolit and trained by Dale Capuano, led throughout to win by 2 1/2-lengths under jockey Travis Dunkelberger. He covered the distance in 1:45.51 -- .30 seconds faster than Broom covered the distance against winners four races later.

Mutuel Field Heavily Favored In Kentucky Derby Future Wager -- A string of records was established in the first pool of the 2002 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) -- including a new standard for the heaviest favorite in the history of the four-year-old wager.

Derby fans made the mutuel field, which included all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses on the list of wagering interests, a strong 5-2 favorite in the pool that ran from Feb. 14-17. The old record was established by the mutuel field in Pool 1 of 2001 and eventual Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus in Pool 3 of 2000.

Unbeaten Johannesburg was next in the Pool 1 odds at 7-1 and Siphonic and Repent were listed at 8-1 when wagering on the pool closed at 5:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday.

Other records established in KDFW Pool 1 included:

• Wagering in a single pool ($577,889)
• Heaviest favorite (Mutuel Field at 5-2)
• States participating in the Future Wager (34)

KDFW Pool 1 is set for March 14-17 and Pool 3 will run from April 4-7.

Kentucky Oaks Update/McPeek Again -- While trainer Ken McPeek's weekend got off to a disappointing start with the near-miss by Harlan's Holiday in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, it didn't take long for Select Stable's Take Charge Lady to lift his mood.

The 3-year-old daughter of Dehere reinforced her credentials as a major contender for the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (G1) with a frontrunning 8 1/2-length romp in the Silverbulletday Stakes (GIII) at the Fair Grounds. Jockey Jon Court, subbing for regular rider Tony D'Amico, guided Take Charge Lady to the lead at the start and was never challenged as she completed the 1 1/16-miles on a "fast" track in 1:42.09, which essentially equalled an eight-year-old track record. (The old record, held by Pie In Your Eye, was 1:42 and was set when race times were measured exclusively in fifths of a second). Her mile split bettered the record for that distance.

Charmed Gift was second, followed by Chamrousse and the favored Lake Lady.

"When I called on her down the lane she gave me a pretty good kick," said Court. "She's one of the best fillies I've ever got to ride."

It was the first race for the winner of the Walmac Alcibiades (GII) at Keeneland since a runner-up finish to Belterra in the Golden Rod (GII) at Churchill Downs in November. Take Charge Lady has won 4-of-6 races.

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