Gulfstream Park notes: Long-absent Zaikov returns Friday in sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Which Todd Pletcher trained 3-year-old turned in the best maiden performance during last year’s winter meet at Gulfstream Park?

Although Verrazano won his debut by 7 3/4 lengths and earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure on Jan. 1, he is not the answer. The correct answer to what is a bit of a trick question would be Zaikov, who earned his diploma at first asking by 14 1/4 lengths on March 15, a performance that earned him a 99 Beyer.

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

Zaikov, a homebred son of Distorted Humor out of the three-time Grade 1 winner Wait a While, has not raced since his explosive and eye-catching debut. He will finally get back to the races here Friday going six furlongs in the sixth race, a first-level optional $25,000 claimer.

“He developed a shin issue that ended up needing quite a bit of time off,” said Pletcher, who trains Zaikov for owner-breeder Alan Cohen’s Arindel Farm. “They did an excellent job with him on the farm, and he’s been training very well for his return.

“There was a mile race on the same card for him Friday, and if it was seven-eighths, we probably would have gone there. But this way, we’ll just ease him back into it,” Pletcher added. “He’s obviously a very talented horse who showed a lot in his debut, and hopefully, he’ll be able to continue moving forward.”

Zaikov will face a decidedly tougher field than the group he defeated so handily in his first start, a lineup that includes older runners like Evolution Rocks, who posted a triple-digit Beyer this past summer at Monmouth Park. Black Karma, who is a nose shy of being undefeated in three starts, also figures a keen pace factor, as does Noble Prince.

Pletcher also was excited about the performance last Sunday by Celebrator, a 3-year-old son of Elusive Quality who returned from a long layoff to defeat maiden special weight opposition by 4 1/4 lengths. Celebrator finished fourth following a slow start in his only previous outing when launching his career here in February.

“The horse trained very well earlier in the year and frankly I was disappointed he didn’t win the first time,” Pletcher said. “I think he’s definitely above average and will stretch out as he goes forward.”

Pletcher also advised that the Holy Bull remains a possible target for Havana’s 3-year-old debut, although he said the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 22 remains the most likely option for his return at this point. The Grade 2 Holy Bull will be run at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 25.

Javier Castellano rode Celebrator to victory Sunday for Pletcher, one of his three victories on the card. Castellano will enter Friday’s program needing to pick up just $8,850 in earnings to eclipse Ramon Dominguez’s all-time North American single-season earnings record of $25,634,852 set in 2012.

Zaikov will be one of the six horses Castellano is named aboard on Friday’s 10-race program.

Lighthouse Bay skips stakes

Saturday’s Grade 3 Sugar Swirl drew a compact but competitive field of six fillies and mares to go six furlongs on the main track. From the rail out, the lineup consists of Crazy About Me, Twice Told Tale, Heart Stealer, Munnings Sister, R Free Roll, and Classic Point.

Trainer George Weaver said he had originally considered running his Grade 1 winner Lighthouse Bay in the Sugar Swirl but will instead point her to the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

“We were thinking about staying here, but eventually decided the La Brea is a Grade 1 and the last opportunity to run her against 3-year-olds,” Weaver said.

Lighthouse Bay upset the Grade 1 Prioress this past summer at Saratoga, but has not started since finishing fifth four weeks later in the Grade 1 Test.

“We had her in at Belmont in September, and she wound up scratched after flipping in the gate,” Weaver said. “We entered her back at Keeneland a few weeks later but had to scratch her after she came up with a sore foot the morning of the race, which set us back a bit. But she’s doing well now, and we’re looking forward to running her at Santa Anita.”

Weaver said Lighthouse Bay vanned to Kentucky on Wednesday and was scheduled to fly to California on Thursday.

Jaen making an impact

Jockey Abdiel Jaen posted a riding double Sunday, winning the opener aboard the odds-on Major Score for trainer Jorge Navarro and the third event with Wild Conceits for Henry Collazo.

Jaen, a native of Panama, won 22 races in the United States during 2003-04 before spending the next five years under contract to King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia, where he was leading rider three times, according to his current agent, Walter Blum Jr. Jaen, who won Calder’s Birdonthewire Stakes aboard Pachanga Party for trainer Wesley Ward earlier this fall, has been on the local scene nearly three months and will continue to shuttle regularly and accept mounts at both Gulfstream and Calder this winter.