Gulfstream Park: Wildcat Red gets green light for Holy Bull

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Wildcat Red earned a spot in next Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes with his game second-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Derby. On Friday, trainer Jose Garafolo confirmed Wildcat Red would indeed be entered in the first major Kentucky Derby prep of Gulfstream Park’s meet after watching his star work an easy five furlongs in 1:01.81 shortly after the first renovation break.

Wildcat Red had crossed the finish line first in each of his first three starts, although he was disqualified and placed second after drifting during the latter stages of the Sunshine Millions Preview Juvenile Sprint. In the Gulfstream Derby, Wildcat Red contested all the pace and then dug in gamely before dropping a close decision to General a Rod while also drifting out a bit nearing the wire.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Wildcat Red did keep a straight path coming to the finish line at the end of Friday’s work, going easily through splits of 25.77 and 38.22 seconds before finishing well under wraps. He was allowed to ease up fairly abruptly once passing the wire.

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

“He worked well this morning,” Garafolo said. “It was just a routine breeze since he ran only a couple of weeks ago. He doesn’t need to do much, I think he’s ready for this race, although I may give him one strong gallop during the middle of the week.”

Wildcat Red will be stretching to 1 1/16 miles for the first time in the Holy Bull, but the added distance does not concern his trainer.

“The pace should be slower going a mile and one-sixteenth as compared to seven furlongs or a mile and that should help him,” Garafolo said. “It’s still too early to tell where we’re going with this horse, but at least we’re on the way.”

Twenty-four hours earlier, trainer Jimmy Jerkens confirmed that Wicked Strong also will join the Holy Bull lineup. Wicked Strong is coming off a third-place finish behind Honor Code and Cairo Prince in the Grade 2 Remsen.

Although Wicked Strong is stabled at Palm Meadows, Jerkens vanned the son of Hard Spun down to Gulfstream on Thursday to school in the paddock, where he was put through his paces alongside Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. Wicked Strong will have his final work for the Holy Bull at Palm Meadows either Sunday or Monday.

A strong field for the Holy Bull also figures to include Cairo Prince, Coup de Grace, Intense Holiday, Mr. Speaker, Conquest Titan, Almost Famous, General a Rod, and perhaps Financial Mogul.