Noble Drama wins Wildcat Heir Stakes on short rest

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite running back on just one week’s rest, Noble Drama had the most left in the tank during the closing stages of the $150,000 Wildcat Heir Stakes, overtaking the odds-on Mo Cash under vigorous handling by jockey Nik Juarez to capture the first of eight stakes to be decided Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Noble Drama, one of a trio of 3-year-olds in the one-mile Wildcat Heir, returned from a three-month hiatus to finish fifth in the grassy Bear’s Den Stakes here last Saturday. A stakes winner at Tampa Bay Downs going a mile and 70 yards earlier in the season, Noble Drama was under an all-out drive for the final half-mile of the Wildcat Heir, ultimately wearing down the older and vastly more seasoned Mo Cash in late stretch to register a well-deserved neck decision.

Mo Cash was a runaway winner of the seven-furlong Benny the Bull Stakes in his previous start but had never raced beyond seven furlongs prior to the Wildcat Heir. Shuffled back some in traffic during the early stages, Mo Cash unleased a steady rally to take control in early stretch but could not withstand the winner’s final surge.

Mr. Jordan finished another 1 3/4 lengths back after being shuffled back to third on the final bend.

Noble Drama, a homebred son of Gone Astray owned by Harold Queen, completed the distance in 1:37.31 over a fast track and paid $30.60 for his third victory in nine career starts.

“He just needed to run longer. There weren’t too many spots, this race came up, and it looked like a short field,” trainer David Fawkes said when asked his reasoning for bringing Noble Drama back on such short rest. “It killed me to run him back this quick, but his numbers showed he should move up, and he did. I was surprised to some extent that he could beat those older, tougher horses. But he’s a nice horse himself, and he ran great.”