Tiz the Law, Caracaro likely favorites in Holy Bull

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The two probable favorites for the Holy Bull Stakes were sent through their final pre-race drills last weekend for what shapes up as an interesting stepping-stone on the Kentucky Derby trail Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Tiz the Law, with regular rider Manny Franco in from New York, went a half-mile in a bullet 48 seconds at the Palm Meadows Training Center on Sunday, one morning after Caracaro went five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Gulfstream Park West.

Tiz the Law will be looking to rebound off a third-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in late November. A victory as the odds-on favorite in that Churchill Downs fixture would have kept the Constitution colt unbeaten in three starts and surely made him an Eclipse Award finalist in what has been a muddled division for months.

Caracaro came to the fore in back-to-back maiden races at Gulfstream. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the Uncle Mo colt was second in his December debut before earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in winning a one-mile race by six lengths on Jan. 11. Caracaro has been the subject of a possible private purchase by a high-profile owner in recent weeks, although the sale has been put on hold pending the Holy Bull results, according to a source familiar with the dealings.

The Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull is among the last designated preps worth 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby. Among the other 3-year-olds confirmed for the 1 1/16-mile race are Ete Indien, Mayberry Deputy, Toledo, and Uncork the Bottle, with perhaps a few more going. Subsequent Gulfstream preps are the Feb. 29 Fountain of Youth (85 points) and the March 28 Florida Derby (170 points).

Among the local 3-year-olds not quite ready for the longer distance of the Holy Bull is Untitled, who will run instead Saturday in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes. The Florida-bred colt got a 98 Beyer in winning a six-furlong maiden race in December in his only start, and was subsequently sold privately and turned over to trainer Mark Casse.

“I’ve liked him from the day we got him,” said Casse. “He’s a class act – big, tall, lanky, good-moving. He still has to develop some, his mind and everything, but he’s only run the one time, so there’s lots of upside.”

The Holy Bull and the $150,000 Swale are among five stakes, all for 3-year-olds, to be run on another busy Saturday at Gulfstream. The others are the filly counterpart to the Swale, the $150,000 Forward Gal, along with the $100,000 Dania Beach and $100,000 Sweetest Chant, both at a mile on turf. All but the ungraded Dania Beach are Grade 3 races.