HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Robert Falcone Jr. said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that he can proceed down the Kentucky Derby trail with Mr Bob after the colt runs Saturday in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. “I’ve never been in this position,” said Falcone, who began training in 2014 at age 21. “So, yeah, I’m excited.” Mr Bob was claimed for $75,000 out of his August debut at Saratoga in the name of John Grossi’s Racing Corp., with Falcone and Beast Mode Racing now also listed as co-owners. The bay Practical Joke colt then raced twice in Kentucky, winning a $150,000 maiden-claiming race at Keeneland and finishing second in the Ed Brown Stakes at Churchill Downs, both at 6 1/2 furlongs. Mr Bob, a $145,000 weanling purchase in November 2020, was named for his former owner, Bob LaPenta. He exits the Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream with a legitimate excuse, having finished a no-threat sixth in the one-mile race with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. “He stumbled at the start and then got cut off right after that, so Irad had to grab him,” said Falcone, whose stable is currently split between Aqueduct at his home New York base and the Palm Meadows training center in South Florida. “We pretty much lost all chance right then.” :: Get ready for Gulfstream Park racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.  “We’re adding blinkers Saturday,” Falcone noted. “Sometimes he’s a horse that loses his focus, and he’s definitely been more aggressive in his works since we’ve been training him in blinkers. His breezes have been really, really good” at Palm Meadows. With Ortiz riding one of the favorites, Lord Miles, in a field of eight 3-year-olds in the Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull, Joel Rosario has the call from Falcone on Mr Bob, who figures as one of the middling wagering choices. The other probable favorites in the 1 1/16-mile race are Cyclone Mischief and Legacy Isle. “This should tell us where we are with him,” said Falcone, adding he typically goes by Rob or Robby “or people even call me Junior when my dad’s around.” :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  The Holy Bull, a 40-point qualifier (20-8-6-4-2) toward the Derby on May 6, is the last of 12 races on a Saturday card that also will include four other Grade 3 stakes, all for 3-year-olds. They are the Swale (race 6), Kitten’s Joy (race 9), Forward Gal (race 10), and Sweetest Chant (race 11). First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern, with the Holy Bull going at 5:43. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.