Harlan Punch turns perfect trip into Louisiana Stakes win
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NEW ORLEANS – In the last year the 6-year-old gelding has raced in New York and New Jersey, traveled for a start at Del Mar in California, and taken up residence in New Mexico late this summer for two starts there. In November he came into the barn of Brad Cox, his third trainer in a year, and took a tough loss at Remington Park before returning to familiar territory - Fair Grounds - where he was stabled during the winters of 2015-2016, and 2016-2017.
All this upheaval and Harlan Punch has barely missed a beat. On Saturday, he turned a perfect trip pressing a slow pace under Florent Geroux into a 3/4-length victory in the $75,000 Louisiana Stakes.
“He’s a very honest horse,” Cox said. “We picked him up in November and he’s quickly become a barn favorite.”
Harlan Punch wears a special blinker to keep him from bearing out, but Silver Dust helped keep the Louisiana winner on the straight and narrow Saturday. Snapper Sinclair broke from the rail and led through a tepid opening quarter-mile in 24.63 seconds, the half going in 49.68 as the field battled a fierce headwind. Harlan Punch raced from second as Silver Dust made an early bid into the pokey pace to take on Snapper Sinclair. The latter folded his tent at the top of the stretch, and while Silver Dust battled on, Harlan Punch on his inside was going best. He stopped the timer in 1:45.05 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track and paid $8.60 to win.
Silver Dust was second, Phat Man was third, and Snapper Sinclair finished a fading fourth. Honorable Duty, the even-money favorite, took his first loss here after three Fair Grounds wins, including the 2017 New Orleans Handicap. He came under heavy pressure as early as the three-furlong marker and failed to muster much of a rally, finishing a well-beaten fifth. That was better than Hawaakom, who has totally lost longstanding excellent form and never lifted a hoof Saturday.
Harlan Punch is by Harlan’s Holiday and out of Indy Punch, by Pulling Punches, and after four Fair Grounds races in which he failed to crack the top three, he finally broke through. Owned by Front Row Racing and Ten Strike Racing, Harlan Punch won for the 10th time in 26 starts. No matter where or for whom, the gelding knows what it means to be a racehorse.
Dubara gets first stakes win
Dubara partnered with an old acquaintance and won the first stakes of her career, capturing the $74,250 Marie Krantz Memorial by three-quarters of a length over 56-1 shot Promise of Spring. Dubara was a small fraction of that price, paying $5.80 to win as the strong favorite.
The England-based jockey Jamie Spencer is spending some time in Florida this winter and came to Fair Grounds for the first time to ride Dubara. Walsh and Spencer are friendly, but Spencer had an old connection with Dubara, having ridden her three times in England during summer 2017.
Dubara settled back in eighth as America’s Tale led Hachi through a moderate tempo. Spencer said the horse beneath him Saturday went about her business better than during their earlier experiences together.
“I’ve known her from Europe and she was very relaxed today,” Spencer said.
Dubara began moving up on the far turn, traveling best in the race as she crept into contention, and Spencer brought her down the center of the track for her run, Dubara striking the front in the final furlong and crossing the finish three-quarters of a length in front of Song of Spring. Song of Spring, racing on turf for just the second time, had to wait for room and finished strongly to finish a half-length in front of third-place Hanalei Moon.
Qatar Racing Limited and Hunter Valley Farm own Dubara, a 5-year-old daughter of Dubawi and the Sadler’s Wells mare, Kibara. Dubara had two wins from 16 starts and had failed to win in her first five North American races. With a nice pedigree, knocking out a stakes win was considerable accomplishment.
“I thought she had one of these in her,” Walsh said.
