Epic Dreamer looking to rebound in Holy Bull Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Kelly Breen knows better than to spout off without good reason. Deep down, Breen believes Epic Dreamer has the potential to develop into a Kentucky Derby type of horse, but the data isn’t there yet.

“There’s not much to say until he runs a big race in a big race,” Breen said. “I’ve got a lot of faith in him, but let’s let him prove what he can do.”

Epic Dreamer, with Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride, will challenge favorites Maximus Mischief and Mihos when trying to become known on the Kentucky Derby trail Saturday in the 29th running of the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull is the first of three qualifying-points races here this winter, with the winner earning 10 points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

After a pair of sharp maiden races at Belmont Park – a runner-up finish behind the eventual Nashua winner, Vekoma, followed by an emphatic win – Epic Dreamer was one of the separately listed entries in the first Derby Futures pool offered by Churchill Downs in late November, closing at 88-1. Alas, his stock took a dive in his stakes debut when he finished sixth as the 6-5 favorite in the Dec. 16 Springboard Mile at Remington Park.

“He came out of it in good shape, and we just brought him back here to Florida and kept him in training,” said Breen, based at the Palm Meadows training center. “He’s done really well, had a few nice breezes. He’s sitting on go.”

Maximus Mischief, trained by Butch Reid, will put his unblemished record on the line when going for a fourth straight victory as the favorite in the Holy Bull, which is foremost among five stakes, all for 3-year-olds, to be run here Saturday. The other four are two sets of twins – the Grade 3 Swale and Grade 3 Forward Gal at seven furlongs and the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant and Dania Beach at a mile on turf. Entries for the 12-race Saturday card were drawn Wednesday.

The Grade 2, $350,000 Holy Bull is followed here by the March 2 Fountain of Youth (50 points to the winner) and the March 30 Florida Derby (100 points).

As a two-time stakes winner who ran third behind Mihos and Trophy Chaser in the Mucho Macho Man here last month, Garter and Tie is worthy of entry in the Holy Bull on his own merits, but trainer Ralph Nicks found another reason to enter the Jacks or Better homebred.

“The waters are going to get real deep around here in the 3-year-old ranks,” Nicks said. “I wanted to go ahead and give this colt a chance in one of the big races before they drown us.”

Aside from the likelihood of some top finishers advancing from the Holy Bull, the Fountain of Youth is expected to get the likes of Signalman, Bourbon War, Vekoma, and the exciting Bill Mott prospects Hidden Scroll and Country House – and that list doesn’t even include anything Todd Pletcher or Chad Brown might have waiting in the wings.

“This looks like a really tough year down here,” Nicks said.