O'Connor avenges last year's loss in Harlan's Holiday Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – What a difference a year made for O’Connor.

After finishing a disappointing fourth behind stablemate Skippylongstocking as the 6-5 favorite in the 2022 Harlan’s Holiday, O’Connor came back to make amends in the 2023 renewal Saturday at Gulfstream Park. O'Connor slipped up the rail under jockey Tyler Gaffalione to outfinish Grand Aspen by a neck in the Grade 3 prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational here on January 27. O’Connor’s uncoupled stablemate from the barn of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Ny Traffic, finished third.

O’Connor came into the 1 1/16-miles Harlan’s Holiday off his most important victory since shipping to the U.S. from his native Chile during the fall of 2022, a game head triumph over Il Miracolo in the Grade 2 Fayette at Keeneland nine weeks earlier. The win was his first this season, following three graded stakes placings that included a game second in the Grade 3 Ghostzapper here during the spring.

O’Connor settled in midpack shortly after the start, advanced to closer contention along the rail on the second turn, found ample room to slip inside Grand Aspen in late stretch, before gaining the upper hand in the final strides. Grand Aspen stalked the early pace and readily overtook and pulled away from Ny Traffic on the final bend. He then remained clear while slightly removed from the rail through midstretch but could not last.

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Ny Traffic set the pace but relinquished command before six furlongs. Ny Traffic then angled outside upon settling into the stretch, re-rallied, and came with a run before flattening out near the wire. Gasoline, the 5-2 favorite, was never a factor and finished ninth after being forced wide in the 11-horse field heading into the opening turn.

O’Connor is owned by the partnership of Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, and Fernando Vine Ode. He covered the distance on a fast track in 1:43.80 seconds and returned $9.20.

“We won this race last year with Skippy [Skippylongstocking] but this certainly makes up for what happened to O’Connor,” Joseph acknowledged after the race. “To be honest, I didn’t think he could get beat last year. That’s racing. I’ve come to learn the less I know, the better I do. But fast forward one year, he gets the job done. We’re proud of him. He’s won two in a row now and kind of doing what we thought he could do. He learned to travel so well. I was a little surprised when he got the rail he didn’t kick right through, it took him a little while to get through there, but he finally buckled down and showed a lot of resilience to keep fighting to the end.”

Joseph said he is looking forward to also giving O’Connor a second chance in the Pegasus after his dull effort, finishing a well beaten 11th, in the rich event earlier this year.

“Distance is going to be better for him, he’s probably best at a mile and a quarter,” Joseph revealed. “We don’t often get the chance to do that with him but hopefully one day down the line he will get back at that distance.”

As for Ny Traffic, Joseph said if he got invited, he would not hesitate to run him in the Pegasus as well.

“I want to watch the race over again, it looked like he was done and going to get eased then he [jockey Javier Castellano] switched him out and for a moment it looked like he was going to win,” Joseph added. “I wouldn’t be scared to go to the Pegasus with him either, if everything goes right.”

Maryquitecontrary defends title in Rampart

The trip probably wasn’t what most expected but the result surely was after Maryquitecontrary rallied to a length victory over Imonra to successfully defend her title in the $125,000 Rampart.

Maryquitecontrary had taken the overland route to win the 2022 Rampart by 3 1/2 lengths, the same strategy she used in the majority of her 11 starts coming into her 2023 finale. But, with regular rider Luca Panici aboard, Maryquitecontrary saved ground around the turn before tipping out at the top of the stretch and readily overtaking Imonra a sixteenth out.

Imonra was easily second best, finishing three lengths in front of Unifying. They were followed by Rosie’s Halo, Dreaming of Snow, and a very disappointing Nostalgic who finished last of six, following a very wide trip.

The win was the seventh in nine local starts for Maryquitecontrary, a 4-year-old homebred daughter of First Dude owned by Rodney Lundock, who transferred the filly to trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. shortly after her second-place finish in the Grade 3 Princess Rooney on Oct. 7. Maryquitecontrary, who has registered all seven of her career wins while never worse than second in nine starts locally, completed a mile in 1:38.16 seconds and paid $4.60.

“Luca and I talked about things after I took over the training of the filly and I asked him about all her trips being out in the middle of the racetrack,” said Plesa. “I told him when you give up that kind of ground you have to be much the best in the race. Needless to say he was not on the outside today. He did a great job. It was a good kick she put in when clear. She was the best horse today.”

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