Gulfstream: G3 Winner Antiquarian Launching Comeback Saturday

By David Joseph —-

G3 Winner Antiquarian Launching Comeback Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Centennial Farms’ Grade 3 winner Antiquarian, unraced since a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1) last June, is entered to make his highly anticipated 4-year-old debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Antiquarian is the 9-5 program favorite against seven rivals in the second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting seven furlongs on the main track that goes as Race 10 of 11.

“It’s an exciting time,” Centennial president and co-owner Don Little Jr. said. “We’re always the patient type to do the right thing by our beloved animals. Todd’s done a great job to get him back to where he looks, and he’s very ready.”

It will be the first race for Antiquarian since his troubled run in the June 8 Belmont, held at Saratoga for the first time and contested at 1 ¼ miles. Prior to that, he registered a breakthrough win with his stalk-and-pounce triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct.

Purchased for $250,000 as a yearling in September 2022, Antiquarian went unraced at 2 and debuted running second in a one-mile maiden special weight last January at Gulfstream, his shortest race to date. He graduated in the slop next out at Fair Grounds, earning him a return trip for the Louisiana Derby (G2), where he ran sixth.

After getting the rest of 2024 off, Antiquarian joined Pletcher’s South Florida-based string at Palm Beach Downs for the winter, registering his first timed work Jan. 2. Overall he shows 11 breezes for his return, including five-furlong moves in a bullet 1:01.09 March 30 and, most recently, 1:01.88 April 12.

“Nothing major happened, we just felt it was time to give him a little breather and let him grow up a little bit and develop even further. At least visually, it has paid off,” Little said. “This horse, he’s a big, rangy colt and they develop a little bit differently and grow here and there. He’s been worth taking the time with. Todd’s done a terrific job.

“You look at his effort in the Belmont, he did get knocked out of contention when Sierra Leone knocked him sideways, but other than that he ran a very credible race,” he added. “The nice thing is, coming into his 4-year-old season now he’s lightly raced. We’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

Antiquarian is by Preservationist, who won the Woodward (G1) and Suburban (G2) for Centennial in 2019. Edgard Zayas is named to ride from Post 7 against a field that includes stakes winners Pure Class and stablemates Shaq Diesel and Loco Abarrio; 12-time winner Cadet Corps, making is 36th career start; and multiple stakes-placed Khozeiress and Secret Chat.

Out of the Istan mare Lifetime Memory, Antiquarian’s undefeated sibling, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Fondly, is undefeated in two starts this year including a victory in the Virginia Oaks and will be making her next start in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

“His half-sister has actually done pretty well while we’ve been waiting, so that’s been a big help,” Little said. “Again, it’s [Antiquarian’s] first race back off a layoff and it’s going a little shorter than he’s ever gone, but we need a nice base to get going and have a nice season planned out after this.”

Squire Wins Debut, Continues 2YO Success for Sire Leinster

Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s Squire ($7.20) graduated at first asking Friday at Gulfstream Park, providing his connections with their second 2-year-old winner by first-year stallion Leinster.

“That stallion, Leinster! I’ve got two runners by him and they both win – and I have some more at home that are as good as that. Maybe Leinster is the new Mr. Prospector,” enthused Biancone through a wry smile.

Dunne and Biancone were represented in the Keeneland winner’s circle April 6 by Lennilu, a daughter of Leinster who captured a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds by a length with a late rally.

Squire, who had been working impressively at Palm Meadows Training Center, encountered some light bumping leaving the gate but recovered quickly to chase the pace set by Chance to Party into the stretch. Under strong handling from jockey Joe Bravo, Squire rallied while racing wide in the stretch to out-duel Beers on Me by a head. The high-energy, long-striding colt ran 4 ½ furlongs for Race 2 in 54.11 seconds.

“I breezed this horse a couple times for Patrick. He had high hopes,” Bravo said. “He broke good. We always knew he’s not the fastest leaving the gate, so I really couldn’t panic as long as I knew he had something to run at, and he did. When he made the lead he kind of waited on other horses.”

Squire’s debut was regarded by his connections as a prep for the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf stakes for 2-year-olds May 10 at Gulfstream that is a designated Royal Ascot qualifier.

“We’re trying to prepare him for the stakes here May 10. I think this was a good indication from him. He’s going to go longer. We’re very happy with him,” said Biancone.

Leinster, a son of Majestic Warrior who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, FL, was a multiple graded-stakes winner on turf who closed out his career with a third-place finish in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and a victory in the 2021 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3).

“Turf is better. Leinster was a turf horse,” Biancone said. “But they’ll go everywhere. Good horses go everywhere.”

Trainer Mary Lightner’s Chance to Party, from the first crop of Chance It, held third.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be estimated at $100,000 for Saturday’s 11-race program at Gulfstream Park.

Post time is 12:50 p.m.

Saturday’s sequence spans Races 6-11. The opening leg is a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds topped by Vibe, a $3 million Triple Crown-nominated son of Into Mischief that adds blinkers for his second start after running fourth as the favorite in debut March 15 at Gulfstream. A second maiden special weight comes in Race 8, for 3-year-olds and up, where Moment’s Notice attempts to break through after two seconds and two thirds in his first five tries.

Multiple New York-bred stakes winner Silver Skillet, unraced since Dec. 27, makes her 5-year-old debut in a one-mile optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up on the grass in Race 9. Grade 3 winner Antiquarian makes his first start since the 2024 Belmont (G1) in Race 10, an optional claimer sprinting seven furlongs.

The Race 11 finale is a maiden special weight scheduled for a mile on the turf that drew nine 3-year-olds and up including Candytown, second in each of his two starts beaten less than a length each time, and Sticky McShnickens, placed in five of eight prior tries.

In the Rainbow 6, the carryover pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Notes: Five-pound apprentice Micah Husbands visited the winner’s circle three times Friday, with Rachel’s Coach ($7) in Race 3, Murabeh ($8.20) in Race 5 and Motown Mika ($3.40) in Race 6. Murabeh and Motown Mika are both trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.

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