Gulfstream Park: Gleaves can pick his spot with Csaba

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – One of the things trainer Phil Gleaves, a disciple of Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens, has learned over the years is to always keep your options open. That is why Gleaves has entered his war horse Csaba in both graded stakes to be decided Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the $100,000 Hal’s Hope going one mile on the dirt and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale, which is scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

The Hal’s Hope drew a field of 10, including Nikki’s Sandcastle, who also was cross-entered in the Fort Lauderdale; two-time Grade 1 winner Jackson Bend, multiple graded stakes winners Uncaptured and Neck ’n Neck, as well as Grade 3 winner Lea.

Heavy rains during the week have put the status of the turf race in jeopardy. Although Csaba is the defending champ in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope, Gleaves will run him in the Fort Lauderdale if the race is switched to the main track.

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Csaba will be making his third start in five weeks. He won the Grade 3 Fred Hooper Handicap at Calder on Dec. 7 before returning here 15 days later to finish second behind the vastly improved River Seven in the Harlan’s Holiday. Csaba won three stakes in 2013, including the Hal’s Hope by a neck.

“Anytime you have a turf stakes on the same day as a dirt stakes, it’s well worth going in both with a horse like this, especially in south Florida,” Gleaves said. “I’d love for the Fort Lauderdale to come off the turf. It’s a Grade 2 rather than a Grade 3, worth twice the money as the Hal’s Hope. It’s around two turns instead of one, which I believe is better for us, and the competition would wind up being easier.”

But Gleaves also is confident Csaba can successfully defend his Hal’s Hope title if, as is likely, he goes in that direction.

“He was further back than normal in the Hal’s Hope last year because they went a half in 44 and change, but I don’t expect them to go that fast Saturday,” Gleaves said. “We don’t normally run him on this type of schedule, but I train him lightly between starts and he hasn’t shown any signs that I’m running him back too quick.”

Simmstown, trained by Marty Wolfson, has won three of his last four starts, including Calder’s 6 1/2-furlong Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap. Simmstown could prove the one to catch making his graded stakes debut.

Neck ’n Neck finished fourth, seven lengths behind Csaba, in the Harlan’s Holiday while making just his second start since capturing the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap in November 2012.

Uncaptured is coming off a third-place finish as the tepid favorite in the Delta Mile and has won just once since his victory in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at 2.

Jackson Bend rebounded off a couple of disappointing efforts with a second-place finish in the seven-furlong Sunshine State for Florida-breds in his 2013 finale but was winless in seven starts on the year.

Lea will make his first appearance since being transferred to trainer Bill Mott’s barn following a fifth-place finish behind Nikki’s Sandcastle on Polytrack in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Fayette.