Gulfstream Park: Holy Bull Stakes candidates put in works

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The field for the first major Kentucky Derby prep here this winter, the Grade 2 Holy Bull on Jan. 25, is slowly beginning to take shape, with several prospective starters turning in works at Palm Meadows on Sunday.

Leading the group was trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s top 3-year-old prospect, Cairo Prince, who breezed five furlongs in 59.90 seconds in company with stablemate Qeyaas. It was the fourth work for Cairo Prince since his hard-luck second-place finish behind Honor Code in the Grade 2 Remsen on Nov. 30.

Cairo Prince had worked the same distance one tick faster, in 59.70, with a pair of mates, including the older Elnaawi, an impressive allowance winner here Saturday, one week earlier.

“I put two horses in front of him last week, including Elnaawi, because I wanted to let him take dirt,” McLaughlin said. “He’d never taken dirt before, and it turned out to be a good work for all of them. He’s doing great and he’ll have one more work, probably an easy half-mile, next weekend.”

Trainer Chad Brown used similar workout tactics Sunday with Holy Bull candidate Coup de Grace, putting the undefeated colt behind a couple of horses to go five furlongs in 1:00.75. Coup de Grace, a son of Tapit, has opened his career with a pair of victories, including a game one-mile allowance win here in his juvenile finale.

“In his first two starts, he ran well but was drawn outside and was in the clear both times,” Brown said. “I wanted to see how he’d react with dirt in his face, and I thought he handled it well. He’ll have one more work, after which he’ll likely run in the Holy Bull.”

[Clocker Reports: Get Mike Welsch’s clocker reports from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows]

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who always has an arsenal of 3-year-olds to choose from, said that at the moment, he only plans to run Intense Holiday in the Holy Bull. Intense Holiday, a son of Harlan’s Holiday, finished a wide-running fourth in both the Grade 2 Remsen and the Grade 2 Nashua to close out his 2-year-old campaign.

Intense Holiday worked five furlongs in 1:00.35 at the Boynton Beach training facility Sunday.

“I loved the way he worked this morning,” Pletcher said Sunday. “The horse just seems like he’s doing really well right now.”

Almost Famous, idle since winning his entry-level allowance condition by eight lengths at Churchill Downs on Nov. 9, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Palm Meadows for trainer Pat Byrne on Sunday. It was his first recorded work in almost four weeks.

The Holy Bull closed Saturday with 44 nominations, 10 of those from Pletcher’s barn, along with Honor Code. Other prospective starters for the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull include Mr. Speaker, Conquest Titan, General a Rod, Wildcat Red, and possibly Financial Mogul.