Harryhee finds salty company in allowance

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Ralph Nicks will saddle the likely pacesetter Harryhee in Friday’s $48,000 feature, a six-furlong allowance/optional $62,500 claimer.

Harryhee is owned by Nicks’s foreman Brett McLellan, who haltered the 6-year-old son of Hello Broadway for a bargain $6,250 here 14 months ago. Since that time, the speedy Harryhee has finished in the money in 12 of his 15 starts, winning three of those races, with two of his off-the-board finishes coming in stakes.

“He’s always had foot issues we’ve had to work through, but when his feet are good, he’s good,” said McLellan. “He’s really a one-trick pony, a free-running horse who likes to run loose on the lead. We tried to take him off the pace in the Claiming Crown, but he stumbled at the start and then kind of lost his air once Luca [Panici] had to take a hold of him behind horses. Since then, we’ve just decided to let him run his race and let him roll, hope he’s in front at the eighth pole and can hold off the others from there.”

Although he defeated first-level optional claiming company with a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure two starts back and was second against tough starter-allowance company after a race-long pace duel last time, Harryhee figures to have his work cut out on Friday against likely favorites Cautious Giant and Command Post.

Both Cautious Giant and Command Post are coming off second-place finishes to a couple of stakes-caliber rivals, efforts that earned both horses career-best Beyer Figures.

Cautious Giant was outgamed a head by the multiple graded stakes-winning veteran Delta Bluesman after taking the lead in early stretch in the restricted Rail Splitter Stakes on Feb. 17. The narrow setback snapped a three-race win streak for the 7-year-old, who was claimed by his present connections for $16,000 out of a loss here last fall.

Command Post, a lightly raced son of Harlan’s Holiday, returned from a nine-month hiatus to miss a head to Sonic Mule in a race similar to Friday’s main event. Like Cautious Giant, Command Post stuck his head in front near midstretch before succumbing grudgingly to the winner at the end.