Gulfstream: Grade 3’s Kitten’s Joy, Swale, Sweetest Chant headline Holy Bull undercard

By David Joseph —-

Candidate Chases Fourth Straight Win in $175,000 Kitten’s Joy (G3)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Mark Grier’s stakes winner Candidate, undefeated in three starts on turf, steps up to graded company looking to extend his win streak to four races in in Saturday’s $175,000 Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Kitten’s Joy is among five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds and the first of two on the grass on a 12-race program headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Post time is 11:50 a.m.

A chestnut son of 2016 Preakness (G1) winner Exaggerator, Candidate began his career last fall at Laurel Park running seventh in a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight originally carded for the grass but contested over a sloppy main track. He rebounded with a front-running 2 ¼-length triumph in a similar spot going 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

Candidate hasn’t lost since, rolling to a 4 ½-length optional claiming allowance score Dec. 22 at Tampa Bay Downs to cap his juvenile season, and opening his sophomore campaign with a 1 ¾-length victory in the one-mile Dania Beach Jan. 7 at Gulfstream, also in gate-to-wire fashion.

“When you go a mile and an eighth for the first time on a sloppy track for a 2-year-old, it’s kind of a lot to ask. He really folded at the quarter pole. I wish that he would have hung on a little longer, but he’s been very impressive breezing on the Tapeta at Fair Hill when he had him there. On the dirt he seems like he levels off all the time,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said.

“He might be a horse that gets stronger with time. He’s only a May foal and we’re only in February, so that’s early. He’s got time to improve. I think he’s so efficient on the turf right now that I would change anything,” he added. “We definitely like him and what he has accomplished in the last three months pretty much has been pretty amazing.”

Candidate was sent off at more than 7-1 in the Dania Beach, but was able to control the pace and took a three-length lead into the stretch with plenty left to hold off a late rally from Major Dude. Tyler Gaffalione rides back from the rail in a field of eight.

“He was not pressured which always helps. In saying that he kept going and he galloped out very well, so I don’t think that the extra sixteenth of a mile is going to be an issue but we’re hoping for a good performance,” Delacour said. “He’s doing well right now. He’s just won three times in a row and he likes the track over there. I don’t know if we can have the same setup as we did the last time but he should be competitive in that spot.”

Spendthrift Farm’s Major Dude returns in the Kitten’s Joy as one of two horses from Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, along with Three Diamonds Farm’s Dude N Colorado. Major Dude started his career on the dirt, winning his unveiling and running third in the Sapling over his first three starts before capturing the 1 1/16-mile Pilgrim (G2) over a yielding course at Aqueduct in his grass debut.

From there, Major Dude was pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), where he raced in midpack before finishing ninth, and kicked off his season running second as the favorite in the Dania Beach.

“At some point we’ll probably give him another try on the dirt. We just felt like this weekend we’d stick to the grass,” Pletcher said. “I just thought last time he got a little too far back behind a slow pace and got bottled up a little too long. Once he got clear, he was closing. He just ran out of time. He’s a nice, consistent colt.”

Bred in England, Dude N Colorado returns to the grass after a front-running 3 ¼-length off-the-turf maiden special weight triumph Dec. 24 at Gulfstream, contested on the all-weather Tapeta course. He’ll be making his stakes debut, having run third in a maiden event on the Aqueduct turf in mid-October.

“I thought he ran well in his debut and improved, even though it was on the synthetic. We feel like he likes the turf and we felt like with the way he’s been training he deserves a chance in there,” Pletcher said. “To his credit, it doesn’t seem like you see a lot of wire-to-wire winners on the Tapeta, so that was good.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Major Dude from Post 4, while Luis Saez will ride Dude N Colorado from Post 6.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse entered the pair of Boppy O and Lights of Broadway. John Oxley and Breeze Easy’s Boppy O was a neck winner of the 1 1/16-mile With Anticipation (G3) last summer at Saratoga in his turf and stakes debut but has been off the board in each of his last two starts, both in graded company, the most recent the Oct. 30 Street Sense (G3) on the dirt.

Oxley also owns Lights of Broadway, who notched back-to-back wins 14 days apart going a mile and 70 yards over Gulfstream’s Tapeta last fall including the Armed Forces. Most recently he finished second to Pletcher’s Ari Gold in the 7 ½-furlong Pulpit Dec. 10 on the Gulfstream turf.

Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stable’s Congruent, winner of an off-the-turf Laurel Futurity that ran third in the Pulpit and fourth in the Dania Beach; Dare to Dream Stable’s Moon Cat, a last out maiden winner Jan. 7 at Gulfstream; and R. Larry Johnson’s French-bred Souzak, who had a three-race win streak snapped following a troubled trip in his North American debut in the Dania Beach, complete the field.

Cover Photo: Candidate; Lauren King

Super Chow in ‘Best Shape Ever’ for Saturday’s G3 Swale

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Lea Farms LLC’s Super Chow will seek his fourth stakes victory in a row in Saturday’s $125,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park, but as precocious as the son of Lord Nelson has proven to be while winning five of his first six races, his trainer is confident that the best is yet to come.

“He’s in his best shape ever. He’s been maturing race to race. He’s been showing a lot of class. From race to race, he’s a more professional horse,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “He’s becoming a man.”

The Swale, a seven-furlong sprint, will be featured on Saturday’s program along with four other graded stakes for 3-year-olds, headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), a 1 1/16-mile event on the Triple Crown trail.

Super Chow broke his maiden at first asking July 2 at Gulfstream before shipping to Saratoga, where he finished a distant third to Damon’s Mound in the Saratoga Special (G2) following a less than ideal start from the rail. Saturday, the Kentucky-bred colt will break from the far-outside post position while facing five rivals.

“We’re always happy with the outside post. If I could choose post position, that is the one I wanted,” Delgado said.

Super Chow rebounded from his first and only career loss with an optional claiming allowance score at Pimlico after setting a pressured pace. He has gone on to capture the Bowman Mill at Keeneland by five lengths, the Inaugural at Tampa Bay by 2 ½ lengths and the Limehouse at Gulfstream by a length after early bumping and a very wide trip.

Delgado has seen Super Chow’s raw talent become more refined in each start.

“I love sports – he was like a basketball or football player that was in college. He was really good, but really immature. He was trying too hard, but he had the talent,” Delgado said. “In his races, he’s been maturing with experience. I think he’s going to make it to the professional league. I think he’ll be there for a long time.”

Chantal Sutherland, who is undefeated in four races aboard Super Chow, including his last three stakes wins, has the return mount.

Courtlandt Farm’s General Jim, a very unlucky fourth in the mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Jan. 1, returns in the Swale for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The son of Into Mischief lacked running room while saving ground into the stretch, having to settle for a fourth-place finish in the Mucho Macho Man, just 1 ½ lengths behind the first-place finisher.

General Jim has won twice in his five-start career, both successes coming on the turf courses at Saratoga and Keeneland.

Luis Saez, who was aboard last time and in the McGaughey trainee’s two winning efforts, has the return mount.

K and R Racing Stable and Town Branch Racing’s Two of a Kind, who had a rough trip while chasing Super Chow before finishing a distant third in the Limehouse, is set for a return in the Swale. The Brian Lynch trainee had previously won his first two career starts, a maiden win at Churchill Downs and a two-length victory in the Tremont Stakes at Belmont. The son of Overanalyze came off a seven-month layoff in the Limehouse.

Joel Rosario is scheduled to ride Two of a Kind for the first time Saturday.

Arindel’s Keanu, who graduated while coming off a 4 ½-month layoff last time out; JFG Thoroughbreds’ Aaraj, an impressive debut winner Dec. 17; and King Sparrow, who is coming off a victory in a Tampa claiming race on turf, round out the field.

‘Filly of the Future’ Malleymoo Steps Up in Sweetest Chant (G3)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Calling her a ‘filly for the future,’ the connections of stakes-placed Malleymoo are set to step her up for her season and graded-stakes debut in Saturday’s $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Sweetest Chant for fillies on the turf is among five graded-stakes for 3-year-olds on a 12-race program headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the next step on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 1.

Post time is 11:50 a.m.

Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, Talla Racing and JWS Racing’s Malleymoo was a popular winner of her debut last fall in a 7 ½-length maiden special weight on the all-weather surface at Dundalk in Ireland, a year after fetching $112,000 as a yearling at Keeneland.

The daughter of turf champion English Channel made her stateside debut Dec. 10 in the 7 ½-furlong Wait a While over Gulfstream’s turf, hesitating at the break but uncorking a late rally that saw her run second by a length to undefeated Junipermarshmallow.

“She came out of the race in great shape,” trainer Jack Sisterson said. “We just felt she’s a filly for the future and we didn’t want to overrace her early in her campaign, so we let her climatize more. Sometimes you see those European horses run well first time off the plane and have a bit of a bounce the second time, but we’ve given her time to get over that and she’s doing really well.

“We’ve just run her the once under our care but she won coming from off the pace at Dundalk and she probably is a filly that is going to come from off the pace, but probably not as far as last time,” he added. “Typically, the Europeans can kind of miss the break first time in the country, and that’s what happened to her. Julien [Leparoux] rode her perfectly, didn’t panic, saved ground and let her finish up well. We’re really happy with the way she ran.”

Despite the loss, Sisterson was encouraged with effort shown by Malleymoo, who will retain the services of Leparoux breaking from Post 3 in a field of nine.

“It’s a great post,” Sisterson said. “There seems to be a little bit of speed in there. I’m sure Julien will be aware that she broke a little bit slow last time but won’t be trying to send her out there. He’ll let her get a comfortable break and not be too far back like the last race.

“[Junipermarshmallow] is potentially a very good filly. She’s two-for-two, and with a cleaner break we could have been right there with her. We won’t take anything away from Mallyemoo. We’ll let her break on her own. I think she’s a filly that we’ll try to relax in behind and finish up well,” he added. “She’s a very classy filly around the barn and on the track, and she’s got the physical looks and the talent to go on and be a graded-stakes filly.”

While Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is keeping Junipermarshmallow in the barn he entered the pair of Alpha Bella and Cairo Consort. Don Alberto Stable’s Alpha Bella exits a gutsy neck maiden special weight triumph going one mile Dec. 11 at Gulfstream in her fourth start and first on the grass.

“It was a good win last time, so we decided to step up and give her a chance in here,” Pletcher said. “We kind of had [turf] in the back of our mind. She has quite a bit of turf in her pedigree and it seemed like she took to it. The distance shouldn’t be a problem.”

Cairo Consort won the Catch a Glimpse and was second in the Natalma (G1) at Woodbine last summer and fall before being purchased privately by Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing and pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), where she ran third. The Cairo Prince filly was a popular half-length winner of the one-mile Ginger Brew Jan. 7 at Gulfstream under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

“I thought it was good. Irad seemed to think he had a little something left in the end,” Pletcher said. “It was a good effort and hopefully she takes a step forward again. She continues to be a straightforward, professional filly.”

Ortiz rides Cairo Consort back from Post 7 and Luis Saez has the call on Alpha Bella from Post 5.

Miacomet Farm’s Heavenly Sunday is entered to make her stakes debut after winning each of her first two starts by 9 ¾ combined lengths. The daughter of Candy Ride broke her maiden sprinting 7 ½ furlongs Sept. 27 at Horseshoe Indiana before capturing a one-mile allowance Oct. 28 at Keeneland.

Rounding out the field are Bulsara, a last out winner on Turfway Park’s all-weather surface in mid-December; Metaphysical, an off-the-turf maiden winner Dec. 26 that ran second in a grass allowance Jan. 12, both at Gulfstream; Padma, entered for her grass debut off a runner-up finish in the one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1 at Gulfstream; multiple stakes-placed Stephanie’s Charm, second by a half-length to Cairo Consort in the Ginger Brew; and Sweetlou’sgotaces, winner of the one-mile Tepin on the Aqueduct turf Nov. 27 in her most recent start.

Super Chow, Malleymoo Photos by Ryan Thompson

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