Halladay continues to improve with front-running Sunshine Forever score

As solid a record as Halladay had, he had lost four of his 11 starts by less than a length, displaying a frustrating trait of not being able to finish off his races.

That habit looks to be a thing of the past as Halladay won his second consecutive race by recording a front-running, 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Sunshine Forever Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The win was his third victory in as many starts over Gulfstream’s turf course in the last 4 1/2 months. Halladay also won the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream last Dec. 28 and an allowance race on April 4.

Saturday, under Luis Saez, Halladay broke outward a step and needed a little encouragement to get to the front. But he opened up a one-length advantage by the time the field hit the first turn as Dylan Davis took a hold of El Tormenta, who was content to sit off the pace.

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Halladay was able to get clear through a quarter of 23.71 seconds, a half-mile in 47.00 and six furlongs in 1:09.57. Aquaphobia, under Irad Ortiz Jr., came to Halladay at the top of the stretch, but Halladay had enough left to keep him at bay to the wire.

Halladay, a son of War Front owned by Harrell Ventures LLC and trained by Todd Pletcher, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:38.66 and returned $4.60 as the 6-5 favorite. Halladay improved to 5-2-4 from 12 starts.

Aquaphobia was second by 1 1/4 lengths over Social Paranoia, Pletcher’s other runner in the field. Admission Office was fourth followed by Cullum Road, El Tormenta, Sand Dancer, Highland Sky, and Hawkish.

War of Will, last year’s Preakness winner, was scratched by trainer Mark Casse, who said he would point that horse to the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 25, provided Santa Anita is up and running by then. Regally Irish also scratched.

Pletcher said he sees Halladay maturing and loved the way the horse relaxed early in the Sunshine Forever.

“He didn’t break great, Luis did a good job establishing position, but when he got to the front and pricked his ears a little bit . . . sometimes he can be a little headstrong,” Pletcher, who won three races on Saturday’s card, said in a post-race interview with Gulfstream’s Acacia Courtney. “I felt like he was coming into this race really, really well and had been a little more relaxed than usual so I think we’re starting to see that in the afternoon as well.”