Solitude Dude faces tougher test in Swale

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Solitude Dude, a visually impressive winner of his first two starts, figures to be tested for the first time when he heads a field of six in Saturday’s $175,000 Swale Stakes for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.

Solitude Dude rolled to a 9 1/2-length victory in a Nov. 1 maiden race at Gulfstream before shipping across the state to dominate the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs by eight lengths on Dec. 6.

“This is a little step up in class, but he seems like a talented horse,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “It seems like he could be a top-level horse at least up to a mile.”

Solitude Dude won his maiden race in gate-to-wire fashion. In the Inaugural, he stalked a horse for the opening quarter-mile before taking command.

“He was able to make an early type of move and was able to keep going,” Joseph said. “Probably didn’t beat the best field. . . . This is a little bit better class. Hopefully, from what he’s showing, he should be able to handle it.”

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Joseph entered three in the Swale but said he isn’t sure he is going to run Langvad, who finished third to Solitude Dude in the Inaugural. Joseph said Langvad got sick out of that race, which in Joseph’s opinion explains why he got beat for second.

Joseph plans to run Hammond, who hasn’t been out since winning the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream on Nov. 22. Joseph had wanted to run him in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa on Jan. 3, but that race failed to fill.

“He’s doing well. Figures-wise, he needs to improve a lot to become good enough, but he’s capable to improve,” Joseph said.

Class President won his debut going a mile by 3 1/4 lengths on Dec. 27. Trainer Todd Pletcher wanted to run him back in a one-mile allowance at Gulfstream, but that race failed to fill. Class President will break from the rail under John Velazquez. He replaces Irad Ortiz Jr., who is on Solitude Dude.

In his debut win, Class President needed to make his own room at the head of the lane, but once “he straightened away for home, he lengthened out and finished up good,” Pletcher said.

Diciassette, trained by Patrick Biancone, went 2 for 2 sprinting at Gulfstream last summer before finishing fourth, 11 3/4 lengths behind eventual 2-year-old champion Ted Noffey, in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity going 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland. This will be his first start since that Oct. 4 race.

Biancone said he gave the horse six weeks on the farm after the Breeders’ Futurity and is going to focus on one-turn races this year with the son of Mitole.

“We need to start someplace,” Biancone said. “I would have preferred to have run six [furlongs] and run seven the next time. He’s a lovely horse.”

Epic Summer, trained by George Weaver, won his debut at Aqueduct in October before finishing fifth of seven in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 3.

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