Four-way rematch in allowance marathon

A familiar cast of characters led by Pillar Mountain will renew acquaintances in the sixth event on Friday’s nine-race program at Gulfstream Park, to be decided around three turns at a mile and three furlongs over the turf for a $47,000 purse.

Four of the seven starters in Friday’s headliner met going 1 1/2 miles on March 17, an oddly orchestrated race won by Pillar Mountain as the 2-1 favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. Pillar Mountain was the class of the field March 17, having had Grade 1 experience in his earlier days. He was cleverly rated by Joe Bravo, who kept him reserved in mid-pack while the 57-1 Troubled Coffee opened a long lead after setting a wickedly fast opening half-mile pace.

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Pillar Mountain split a group of four horses while commencing his rally about a quarter-mile from the wire, readily overtook the tiring leaders in early stretch, and won going away under strong handling by Bravo. The win was the first for the 6-year-old Pillar Mountain since July of 2019, when he turned in a similar performance to defeat allowance company going 11 furlongs at Saratoga.

Pillar Mountain is one of two Pletcher horses entered in the race along with Cowtown, who finished sixth while beaten five lengths by his stablemate March 17. Cowtown took the worst of the trips, checking back to the rear of the field after the start before making a premature and wide bid to closer contention midway through the race. Cowtown, who has only a single victory in 15 starts, finished third against older rivals in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes last December in his final start at 3.

Go Poke the Bear and Basha finished third and fourth behind Pillar Mountain in their last start, with both getting a two-pound weight concession from Pillar Mountain in Friday’s rematch. Also in the field is Salute the Colonel, a dominant force in three-turn races at Gulfstream Park a couple of years back seeking to regain that top form, Pleasecallmeback, and Mr. Tito’s.

Con Lima among stakes noms

Nominations have been released for the $75,000 Honey Ryder and $75,000 Big Drama, both to be contested May 1. They are the first two stakes of the spring-summer session.

The Honey Ryder, carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for 3-year-old fillies, attracted 22 nominations topped by the Pletcher-trained Con Lima, who is expected to return to the grass following her fourth-place finish as the early pacesetter in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Con Lima was very active during the recently concluded Championship meet, winning the Ginger Brew before finishing second in both the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant and Grade 3 Herecomesthebride. Pletcher also nominated Coworth Park for the Honey Ryder. She finished fifth making her stakes debut in the one-mile Sanibel Island on March 27.

Other prominent names on the Honey Ryder nominee list include Hit the Woah, beaten just a half-length while checking in third in the Sanibel Island; the Christophe Clement-trained stakes winner Mischievous Dream; recent allowance winner Por Que No; and impressive debut maiden special weight winner Cultured.

The seven-furlong Big Drama for Florida-breds attracted 17 nominees, including six 3-year-olds, among them Jirafales, who was soundly beaten in all three local Kentucky Derby preps, including a 10th-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.