Gulfstream Park: River Seven sets track record in Harlan’s Holiday Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Nick Gonzalez said he’s wanted to try River Seven on dirt again ever since his second-place finish this summer in Fort Erie’s Prince of Wales Stakes but didn’t want to mess with a good thing since his horse had been running well on turf this fall.

Gonzalez finally got his opportunity to put River Seven back on the main track Sunday at Gulfstream Park in the $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes, and he not only was rewarded with a four-length victory over defending champion Csaba but also got a track record in the process.

River Seven, with Joe Rocco Jr. aboard, moved quickly to wrest control from Reveron and Csaba approaching the three-furlong pole, then drew off smartly to register his third straight win.

Csaba, who sat a perfect trip stalking Reveron’s early pace, was easily second-best, finishing three lengths clear of 7-5 favorite Bourbon Courage, who never was a serious factor in the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday.

River Seven ($27), a Canadian-bred son of Johannesburg, completed the distance in 1:41.73, eclipsing the old mark of 1:41.81 set by Itsmyluckyday last January. This is just the third season Gulfstream Park has run 1 1/16-mile races since the track was reconfigured in 2005.

The victory was the first in a stakes race at Gulfstream for Gonzalez, who swept the late daily double by also winning Sunday’s finale with Oroluce.

“I wanted to get him back on the dirt since he finished second in the Prince of Wales, but the option was over in Canada because all we had was Polytrack and turf,” Gonzalez said. “We got him on turf, and he was a rock star, so we couldn’t take him off it.”

Gonzalez said River Seven couldn’t have gotten a better trip under Rocco.

“Things fell into place, we got a nice pace in front of us, and Joe said he had a ton of horse at the three-eighths pole and said, ‘We might as well make the race now.’ ”