Photo: MEC
Larry Fugate’s 5-year-old Florida homebred gelding Cash Rules has won
four straight stakes races and Joann and Alex Lieblong and partners’
6-year-old Duke of Mischief has posted career earnings for more than
$1.9 million for trainer David Fawkes, who is slated to send out both
older stars in Sunday’s $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream
Park.
Jockey Javier Castellano will have the mount on Cash Rules in the 1
1/16-mile test. The son of Peace Rules went on a streak this season at
Calder, capturing the Spend a Buck Handicap (G3) by three-quarters of a
length on Oct. 13 and the Carl Rose Classic wire-to-wire by a
length-and-half on Nov. 10 as the 3-to-10 favorite.
Cash Rules showed promise early in his career, winning three of six
starts as a 3-year-old in 2010, but was sidelined with a knee injury for
15 months until returning to competition in an allowance race at
Gulfstream in March.
“He took much longer to come back than we expected,” said Fawkes.
“We always thought he had the ability, and now he’s showing it and
improving with each start."
While Cash Rules has established himself almost strictly at Calder,
Duke of Mischief has been a major player on the national stage during
his career, and will be making his first start since finishing second to
Caixa Eletronica in the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G3), a race he
won in 2011, at Mountaineer Park on Apr. 14.
Jockey Joe Bravo rides Duke of Mischief in a field of nine
3-year-olds and up drawn for the Harlan’s Holiday. The Florida homebred
chestnut son of Graeme Hall won the 2009 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows
as a 3-year-old and the 2010 Oaklawn Park Handicap (G2) and Philip H.
Iselin Handicap (G3) at Monmouth Park as a 4-year-old, among other major
successes.
“Sunday’s race is a starting point to get him going again,” said
Fawkes of Duke of Mischief. “If all goes well this race will set both
horses up to run in the ($400,000) Sunshine Millions Classic (Jan. 19)
and possibly the ($1.5 million) Charles Town Classic (G2) as well.”
Bruce Hollander and Cary Shapoff’s 3-year-old Csaba will attract
support Sunday after winning his last two starts in stakes at Calder for
jockey Luis Saez and trainer Phil Gleaves. The son of Kitten’s Joy
romped home a 14-length winner of the off-the-turf Tropical Park Derby
in October before posting a dead-heat score in the Fred Hooper Handicap
(G3) on Nov. 24.
Csaba was on the road over the summer, finishing a game second in
the off-the turf Hall of Fame Stakes (G2) and ninth on turf in the
Equalize Stakes at Saratoga in August. (Gleaves saddled the Miami Cat
for a victory in the Equalize.) He disappointed again when seventh in
the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Parx in September before coming home for
the two stakes victories.
“We were disappointed in his race at Parx, but he had some trouble
in the race,” said Gleaves. “With his pedigree, I would have bet he
would be a turf horse and we tried that several times. From now on, the
only time he’ll see grass is when he’s turned out in a paddock.”
Two other contenders in a solid field set for Sunday are Gary and
Cecil Barber’s 3-year-old gelding, Delegation, and JEOG Racing LLC’s
3-year-old Scatman.
The Mark Casse-trained Delegation, scheduled to be ridden by John
Velazquez, finished a good third last out behind Tapizar in the $1
million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita on Nov. 3. The
lightly-raced son of Speightstown has been on the board in all seven
career starts and won the Durham Cup (G3) at Woodbine on Polytrack in
his final start prior to the Breeders’ Cup. The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
was his first on a dirt surface.
The Mill Mott-trained Scatman enters the Harlan's Holiday off a pair
of allowance tallies going seven furlongs over Keeneland's Polytrack
and the main track at Churchill Downs, where he won an off-the-turf race
by 5 ¾ lengths on Nov. 5. The son of Scat Daddy, who'll be ridden by
Joel Rosario, made a brief bid to jump on the Triple Crown trail in the
spring when placing in the Southwest Stakes (G3) and Rebel Handicap (G2)
at Oaklawn Park.
Lisa Parbhoo Racing’s 6-year-old Ducduc will be a longshot with a
chance with jockey Orlando Bocachica in the saddle for owner-trainer
Shivananda Parbhoo. The son of Langfuhr finished second behind Csaba in
the Spend a Buck and then moved up to dead-heat with that rival in the
Fred Hooper with some trouble in the race.
Completing the field for the Harlan’s Holiday are Golden Goose
Enterprises and James Covell’s Citrus Kid ( Joe Rocco, Jr.); Roman Hill
Farm’s I’m Steppin’It up (David Cohen); and Rose Family Stable’s Decaf
Again (Jesus Rios).