Gulfstream: Noble Drama Passes Up ‘Sure Thing’ at Gulfstream for Graded Glory

By David Joseph —-

Noble Drama Passes Up ‘Sure Thing’ at Gulfstream for Graded Glory

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Although Harold Queen’s Noble Drama would have been looked upon as a ‘sure thing’ by many bettors, the 6-year-old multiple-stakes winner with Grade 1 bloodlines will bypass a title defense in Saturday’s $75,000 Benny The Bull at Gulfstream Park in search of graded glory.

“I’m thinking Charles Town,” trainer David Fawkes said Wednesday.

Fawkes has his sights set on the $800,000 Charles Town Classic (G2), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for Aug. 27.

“I think he fits in there really well,” Fawkes said, “and I’ve won the race before.”

Fawkes saddled Duke of Mischief for a 2 ¼-length victory over Game on Dude in the 2011 Charles Town Classic. The Florida-bred son of Graeme Hall returned the following year to finish second behind Caixa Eletronica.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama has won seven stakes and more than $700,000 in purses while racing in Florida, but the gelded son of Gone Astray came up short in only one graded-stakes opportunity.

“I just think this here he’s gotten better than normal. He seems better than he used to be,” Fawkes said. “His comeback race was good and his second race is better. I just feel like he’s doing really good and deserves an opportunity like that.”

Fan Favorite Noble Drama is 2-for-2 in mile overnight handicap starts since returning from a four-month layoff following his second-place finish in the $200,000 Sunshine Classic during Gulfstream’s Championship Meet. He captured the May 22 My Name’s Jimmy with a last-to-first surge before defeating a very talented field of rivals with another last to first score in the July 11 City of Dania.

In Noble Drama’s absence, a field of seven veteran stakes performers has been assembled for the Benny The Bull, a seven-furlong stakes for Florida-breds.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.’s Shivaree and Garter and Tie were entered Wednesday with trainer Ralph Nicks hoping that the homebreds can return to winning form. Shivaree, the runner-up in the 2020 Florida Derby (G1), is winless in four starts this year. Garter and Tie, a multiple-stakes winner who finished a troubled third behind Noble Drama in last year’s Benny The Bull, is scheduled to make his 2021 debut Saturday.

Owner/trainer Kathleen O’Connell’s Well Defined, who captured the 2019 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, is scheduled to seek his fifth victory in eight races this year in the Benny The Bull. Gary Barber and Michael Sebastian’s Untitled, who finished second in the 2020 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, is set to come off a 5 ½-month layoff.

Owner/trainer Larry Bates’ With Verve, owner/trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Silver Enough, IAB Stables and Walter Fralick’s Quenane; Rodney Lundock’s Pro Quality round out the field; and Hacienda Real Racing LLC’s Travy Boy round out the field.

Carry Back Winner Papetu Stays Home for Saturday’s Aventura

Magic Stables LLC’s Papetu will concede between five and 10 pounds to five rivals in Saturday’s $60,000 Aventura at Gulfstream Park as the 124-pound highweight for the mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds.

The Antonio Sano-trained son of Dialed In is coming off a 1 ¼-length victory in the July 10 Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream in his first start since finishing seventh in the March 27 Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

A race at Saratoga was Sano’s goal for Papetu following his Carry Back triumph, but the veteran trainer has opted to employ the Aventura as a springboard for a future stakes engagement.

Papetu was impressive while winning his first two starts of his career last year at Gulfstream before venturing to Saratoga to finish sixth in the Saratoga Special (G2) and fifth in the Hopeful. The Kentucky-bred colt was competitive with the top 3-year-olds during the Championship Meet, during which he finished second in the Mucho Macho Man and third in the Fountain of Youth (G2), before enduring a five-wide trip from his far-outside post position in the Florida Derby.

Leonel Reyes has the return mount Saturday.

Magic Stables LLC and Sano will also be represented by Paladio, who has been running in claiming and starter company; Shamrock Highlands Thoroughbreds’ Perfect Silent Cat, a maiden to finished second in the Not Surprising; Magic Cap Stables’ Twelve Volt Man, who won the first two races of his career before finishing fifth in the Carry Back; and recent maiden winners Eid Alshamsi’s Rabdan and Miracle’s International Trading Inc.’s Emperor’s Cause; round out the field.

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The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The company’s consumer facing brand 1/ST (pronounced “First”) powers The Stronach Group’s forward-thinking 1/ST RACING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST EXPERIENCE, and 1/ST PROPERTIES businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred horse racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING drives the best-in-class horse racing operations at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the newly formed operating group for all of 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, GWS and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is horse racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. 1/ST PROPERTIES is responsible for the development of the company’s live, work and play communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred horse racing on and off the track. For more information, please email david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com and visit www.1st.com.