Major Dude, Cairo Consort give Pletcher the favorites in Dania Beach and Ginger Brew
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher, who just completed an Eclipse Award-worthy season in 2022, will try to keep the ball rolling into the new year when he sends out Major Dude and Cairo Consort as the favorites and horses to beat in the $100,000 Dania Beach and $100,000 Ginger Brew stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Both races are for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf, with the Ginger Brew for fillies.
Both Major Dude and Cairo Consort completed their 2-year-old campaigns competing in the Breeders’ Cup. Major Dude finished a tiring ninth after breaking from a tough post in the Juvenile Turf, and Cairo Consort raced forwardly placed and finished third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Major Dude is the only graded stakes winner among the seven 3-year-olds slated to compete in the Dania Beach, having punched his ticket into the Breeders’ Cup by virtue of a one-length victory in the Grade 2 Pilgrim five weeks earlier. The Pilgrim, the second of Major Dude’s two wins on the year, came in his turf debut over a yielding course at Aqueduct.
“He took to the grass really well in the Pilgrim,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, he drew post 13 in the Juvenile and he was never able to really tuck in and save any ground. I thought he ran really well to only get beat 3 3/4 lengths. I think from a different draw it could have been closer.”
The most intriguing of Major Dude’s six rivals and the unknown factor in the Dania Beach is the French import Souzak. He brings a three-race win streak into his U.S. debut, the last of those victories coming by a neck at Longchamp when he stretched out to a mile for the first time on Oct. 1. He was purchased out of the Longchamp sale by owner Larry Johnson just hours after the race and sent to his longtime trainer, Graham Motion.
“My owner picked him out and we didn’t think we’d still be able to buy him after he won that day,” said Motion, who has Joel Rosario to ride Saturday. “We thought of running him in the Breeders’ Cup, but he got sick soon after leaving quarantine, so this race is the next logical spot. He showed he could handle a mile in his last start, but the ground was really boggy that day so it’s hard to get a good gauge off that race. He’s had a couple of works at Palm Meadows, and Joel said he handled the firm ground nicely.”
Worthington, Candidate, and Barzini all bring a two-race winning streak into their stakes debut.
Worthington was an impressive 2 1/2-length allowance winner over the turf at Churchill Downs in his juvenile finale. Candidate defeated allowance competition by 4 1/2 lengths on the grass Dec. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. Barzini also is a maiden and allowance winner on turf, although he has yet to run beyond 5 1/2 furlongs.
Completing the lineup are Congruent, a troubled eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and third making his first start on grass in the Pulpit Stakes here last month, and the multiple stakes-placed Cheerful Charlie.
Cairo Consort joined the potent Pletcher stable after being purchased privately following her strong effort in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, when she was beaten 4 3/4 lengths by the winner and 2-1 favorite Meditate. Cairo Consort had made all five of her starts before the Breeders’ Cup at Woodbine. Trained there by Nathan Squires, she won the Catch a Glimpse Stakes and finished a late-running second going a mile for the first time in the Grade 1 Natalma.
Irad Ortiz Jr. has been named to ride both Major Dude and Cairo Consort on Saturday.
“She’s done everything right since she’s come in,” Pletcher said. “We’ve been very pleased with what we’ve seen. It looks like she’s pretty versatile in her running style. Depending on the pace scenario, Irad will be able to place her where she feels comfortable.”
The French invader Anna Karenine is the wild card as she makes her first start in this country in the Ginger Brew. Anna Karenine won two of her five 2-year-old outings in France, capping off the year with a fifth-place finish in the Group 2 Prix du Calvados at Deauville. She joined trainer Chad Brown’s barn in the fall and has trained up to the race over the main track at Payson Park.
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