Hey Byrn Tops Holy Bull

HEY BYRN (Put It Back), an impressive two-time allowance winner at Gulfstream Park prior to a fourth in the Florida Derby (G1), is clearly the one to beat in Saturday's $150,000 Holy Bull S. (G3). Trained by Ed Plesa Jr., Hey Byrn will stretch out to 1 3/16 miles while wheeling back off a two-week rest in pursuit of graded earnings. The bay colt needs to win the Holy Bull in order to earn a berth in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Stakes-placed as a juvenile, the Florida-bred opened his three-year-old campaign with a 14 1/2-length allowance win going a mile at Gulfstream on February 10. Hey Byrn successfully stretched out to 1 1/8 miles for his next start, taking a March 2 allowance by six lengths, and recorded a respectable fourth behind the scintillating Big Brown (Boundary) in the Florida Derby. He'll face six unaccomplished rivals on Saturday with new rider Chuck Lopez.

FAMOUS PATRIOT (Repent) and DREAM MAESTRO (Concerto) are both exiting maiden wins. Famous Patriot rolled to a 2 1/4-length, wire-to-wire score in a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight event at Gulfstream on March 6. Dream Maestro posted a neck decision under the same conditions on March 23. WEB GEM (Fusaichi Pegasus), a non-threatening second to War Pass (Cherokee Run) in a February 24 allowance two starts back, will step up to face stakes rivals here for Nick Zito.

Famous Patriot will break from the rail under a 118-pound impost with Eddie Castro. Hey Byrn, who carries 118, comes next in post position order and is followed by CHIEF BEAR (Chief Seattle), Sebastian Madrid, 116; BIPOLAR EXPRESS (Equality), Andrew Ramgeet, 116; NATHAN RIDGE (Quaker Ridge), Eddie Nunez, 116; Dream Maestro, Manoel Cruz, 116; and Web Gem, Joe Bravo, 118.