Harlan’s Holiday Proves Timing Is Everything

That supposed clock in jockey Jorge Chavez’s head may have been cuckoo, subjecting Booklet to a suicidal pace and a fourth-place finish, but Harlan’s Holiday was the best horse anyway in the $1-million Florida Derby before 30,204.

At the end of a 11/8-mile trip Saturday at Gulfstream Park, Harlan’s Holiday was 31/2 lengths better than runner-up Blue Burner and 15 lengths better than Booklet as the Ohio-bred colt picked the perfect time to atone for two narrow losses to Booklet earlier this winter. Let’s hear it for Ohio. Harlan’s Holiday has become one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, a race that has been won by only one horse from that state--Wintergreen in 1909. Another Ohio-bred, U S S Tinosa, will try to run himself into Derby contention in today’s San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

Laurie Wolf of Atlanta, who races Harlan’s Holiday with her husband Jack, recalled the comment in the Daily Racing Form the day Harlan’s Holiday ran his first race, against maidens at Churchill Downs last June. “It said, Ohio-bred, question mark,” she said. “It said, ‘What are they thinking?’”

Some railbirds were wondering what Chavez was thinking when he allowed Booklet to run with an open engine along with another speedball, Smooth Jazz, from the gate to the far turn. With Smooth Jazz and Mark Guidry pushing Booklet and Chavez to the brink, the first quarter-mile was reeled off in :222/5 and the half-mile flew by in :451/5. Only two horses ever ran as fast for an opening Florida Derby quarter, and the first four furlongs have never been run quicker.

Smooth Jazz was part of a Todd Pletcher-trained entry with Nokoma, who didn’t benefit from his stablemate’s tactics and finished seventh. Walking off the track after the race, Chavez decried Guidry’s tactics, but John Ward Jr., the trainer of Booklet, wasn’t bothered. “This is racing,” Ward said.

Chavez, winner of last year’s Florida and Kentucky Derbys with Monarchos, wasn’t as generous.

“It was unclassy to do that,” he said. “I had no choice when the other guy kept riding and riding and riding his horse. It’s hard to win a race, or ride a race, when someone else [Guidry] is riding your horse on purpose. [Guidry] should have ridden his horse, not mine.”

Guidry said that he was just following the pre-race plan, trying to make the lead with Smooth Jazz.

Harlan’s Holiday is trained by Ken McPeek, the 39-year-old son of a Kentucky breeder. McPeek has had only two Kentucky Derby starters, the best of whom, Tejano Run, finished second to Thunder Gulch in 1995. Now McPeek could field two of the favorites at Churchill Downs on May 4. His other top colt, Repent, won the Louisiana Derby last Sunday.

Harlan’s Holiday finished second in that debut at Churchill, and since then he has piled up five wins and three seconds in eight tries.

“From his first race, he showed a lot of heart,” McPeek said of the $97,000 yearling purchase. “It was good he was an Ohio-bred, because we were able to run him in those races for state-breds, and he developed a winning attitude early on. It’s difficult to separate my two horses. Harlan’s Holiday might have the advantage because he’s got a tactical running style.”

That style Saturday was worth $600,000 to the Wolfs. Harlan’s Holiday, ridden by Edgar Prado for the first time as McPeek sacked Tony D’Amico in favor of a more experienced big-race rider, paid $5.40 as the favorite and covered the distance in 1:484/5, fastest running of the stake since 1996. The rest of the field was stretched out. Blue Burner, running for George Steinbrenner, finished 63/4 lengths ahead of Peekskill, and after that came Booklet (who had a breathing problem in the race caused by a displaced palate), Monthir, D’Coach, Nokoma, High Star, Puck, Smooth Jazz and Personal Reward.

Harlan’s Holiday was fourth after a half-mile, 71/2 lengths from Booklet, but Prado was not going to fry his horse.

At the three-eighths pole, Harlan’s Holiday unleashed his winning move from the outside. Prado’s four or five taps with the whip through the stretch weren’t even necessary.

McPeek, who will keep his Derby contenders separated, will probably run them once each in April, with the Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s Park, the Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on the radar. Late Saturday at Gulfstream, the accomplishments of his colts finally hit him between the eyes.

“Somebody pinch me,” he said. “It’s hard to believe I’m in this position.”

*

Earlier, Ethan Man beat four horses to win the $150,000 Swale Stakes. Trainer Patrick Byrne will run the colt one more time before considering the Kentucky Derby.