Fashionably Fast has best dirt form in Harris Farms at Big Fresno Fair

On paper, defending champion Fashionably Fast looks like a lock to repeat his 2019 victory in the Harris Farms Stakes on Saturday at the Big Fresno Fair.

Of course, the race is being run on dirt, not paper, but the 6-year-old bred and co-owned by Harris Farms may be even more intimidating on dirt than paper.

Only four rivals signed up to challenge him in the $75,000, six-furlong race, and two of them have never won on dirt. Fashionably Fast’s biggest challenge will come from the 3-year-old Top Harbor, who has two wins and a second in four dirt starts.

“Any horse can get beat, but this horse instills confidence in you,” said Fashionably Fast’s trainer, Dean Pederson

Trainer Tim McCanna knows it will take an A+ effort for Top Harbor to win, but he’s encouraged by the horse’s runner-up effort in a photo to multiple graded stakes winner Law Abidin Citizen in the Oak Tree Sprint in July.

He was also encouraged by a strong allowance victory at Golden Gate in Top Harbor’s last start as he scored a career-high 91 Beyer.

But Fashionably Fast may be the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.

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Fashionably Fast was a ridgling (with one undescended testicle) who raced with blinkers, but after the horse led in the lane before losing a photo in the 2018 Harris Farm and following up with a fade job, Pederson felt it was time for a change.

After talking with jockey Tiago Pereira, he decided to take off the blinkers Fashionably Fast had been wearing. At the same time, he and breeder John Harris decided to geld the son of Lucky Pulpit.

“We’d always liked him, but he got very hot on the track,” said Pederson. “We never gave up on him.”

The decisions worked well.

Fashionably Fast beat the talented Baja Sur in the 2019 Harris Farm, kicking off a streak of four straight stakes victories.

He had four wins and a second in six 2019 starts and two wins and a second in four starts last year. This year, he has a win, two seconds, and four thirds and comes into the race with a career-best 97 Beyer in his last start.

“He’s been an unbelievable horse the past two or three years. He shows up for work every time,” said Pederson.