Stalking trip in the cards for Gatsby in Big Drama Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The pace should be honest when a field of nine Florida-breds match strides going seven furlongs in Saturday’s $65,000 Big Drama at Gulfstream Park. The Big Drama serves as a prep for the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on July 2 and shares top billing on an attractive 11-race program with a $60,000 open handicap carded at five furlongs over the turf. The handicap is a potential stepping-stone to the $75,000 Bob Umphrey Sprint here on July 3.

The presence of Gatsby, Willy Boi, and the 3-year-old King Cab assure the early fractions will be strong in the Big Drama, named in honor of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and sprint champion who was based in this area with trainer David Fawkes.

Gatsby has returned to the barn of trainer Juan Alvarado, with whom he began his career at 2 in 2020 and posted two victories, including a win over the sensational Golden Pal in his debut. Gatsby was transferred to Carlos Davis during the summer of 2021 and flourished during the second half of his 3-year-old campaign and early this year, turning in a series of improved efforts that peaked with his 1 1/4-length victory in the six-furlong Sunshine Sprint on Jan. 15. He earned a lifetime-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure in that race.

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Gatsby has started but once since, finished a tiring fifth after contesting a rapid pace into the stretch of the Gulfstream Park Sprint on Feb. 19.

“His problem is that he’s a nervous horse and not a good traveler,” said Brian Cohen, son of Gatsby’s owner-breeder, Alan Cohen. “We sent him to Churchill as a 2-year-old for the Bashford Manor after he defeated Golden Pal and he didn’t do well there. We shipped him to Tampa to run in a stakes after the Gulfstream Park Sprint and he got himself sick there and had to scratch. So we brought him back to the farm, got him settled down, and just felt it was best for now to start him back out of his old barn at Gulfstream so he wouldn’t have to ship for this next race. It’s not out of the realm of possibility he could go back with Carlos again to prep for the Smile.”

Cohen also conceded that although Gatsby has done his best when on or near the lead, he doesn’t expect to see him contesting the early issue in the Big Drama.

“There’s no way he’s going to get seven-eighths running with the horses up front in this field,” said Cohen. “So we’ll let King Cab and Willy Boi go and see what happens. With the right trip, seven-eighths is fine, although I believe six furlongs is what he really wants.”

King Cab is as quick for an opening half-mile as any horse on the grounds. He will be taking on older horses for a second straight start, having finished second when run down late by Senor Jobim under allowance conditions last month. The distance is no issue for King Cab if he is allowed to relax long enough on the lead. He’s won his two starts going seven furlongs by a combined 12 lengths, including the Sophomore Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs earlier this spring.

A contentious pace could abet the chances of Shivaree, who will don a set of shades for the first time in more than two years in the Big Drama, or perhaps the late-running 3-year-old Cajun’s Magic.

Shivaree rallied from near the rear of the field to captured a restricted stakes at Tampa in his 2021 finale and finished second, beaten a neck by Well Defined, in the Benny the Bull using similar tactics here last August. Well Defined is also in the lineup for the Big Drama.

Cajun’s Magic has been freshened since finishing eighth, 9 1/4 lengths behind winner White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2. Cajun’s Magic’s best effort at 2 came at seven furlongs in the Affirmed when he was second to Octane, who ended the season the undisputed local 2-year-old champion.

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Rematch in turf sprint

Warrior’s Pride and The Virginian, first and second in a high-priced optional-claiming and allowance dash over the grass four weeks earlier, loom the ones to beat again when taking on five other turf sprint specialists in the afternoon’s sixth event.

Warrior’s Pride needed a couple of starts to get back in top form this year before using his abundant speed to register his first triumph since upsetting the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint here last July. The 94 Beyer Figure he received for his most recent victory is his best yet.

The Virginian has turned in a series of strong performances over the past six months with nary a victory to show for those efforts. His last win came against softer allowance company over the Tapeta course in October.