Audible Upended in Harlan’s Holiday

[Wandering Eyes]

While Audible (Into Mischief) seemed all but unbeatable in Saturday’s GIII Harlan’s Holiday S., returning to the Gulfstream Park strip over which he romped in both the GII Holy Bull S. and GI Florida Derby earlier this term, it was another sophomore–Sir Anthony (Mineshaft)–who stole the show. Sir Anthony belied 35-1 odds when annexing Arlington’s Bruce D. Memorial S. in August, and resurfaced in a state-bred allowance at Hawthorne Oct. 5, getting the job done by a head. The chestnut added another Hawthorne score Nov. 1, and prepped for this class hike with a :49 1/5 (5/13) move over the local strip Dec. 11.

Last away as the 25-1 fourth choice in the field of six, Sir Anthony was guided sharply to the fence by pilot Brian Hernandez Jr. into the first turn. He traveled just inside the heavy favorite–who always seemed to be fighting with the wet track–down the backside, but still had his work cut out for him heading for home. Scraping paint as Audible took the overland route into the straight, Sir Anthony found another gear with the help from a few right handers, and he kept finding to stiff-arm Audible in the late stages and prevail by a half-length. According to Trakus data, Sir Anthony covered 44 ft. (approximately 5 1/4 lengths) fewer than Audible. Apostle (Medaglia d’Oro), a $900,000 OBS March pick-up last year, rounded out the all-sophomore trifecta.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HARLAN’S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-15, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:45.14, sy.
1–SIR ANTHONY, 118, r, 3, by Mineshaft
1st Dam: Mourette (MSP, $176,271), by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Amourette, by El Gran Senor
3rd Dam: Chase the Dream, by Sir Ivor
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Richard Otto Stables, Inc. (IL);
T-Anthony Mitchell; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. $61,380.
Lifetime Record: 14-5-2-2, $202,220. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Audible, 116, c, 3, Into Mischief–Blue Devil Bel, by Gilded
Time. ($175,000 Ylg ’16 SARAUG; $500,000 2yo ’17 FTFMAR).
O-China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight
Racing, WinStar Farm; B-Oak Bluff Stables, LLC (NY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $19,800.
3–Apostle, 114, c, 3, Medaglia d’Oro–Apt, by A.P. Indy.
($525,000 RNA Ylg ’16 FTSAUG; $900,000 2yo ’17 OBSMAR).
O-Karl & Cathi Glassman; B-Ben P. Walden, Jr. & Larry Taylor
(KY); T-Edward Plesa, Jr. $9,900.
Margins: HF, 1, NK. Odds: 25.90, 0.10, 20.30.
Also Ran: Village King (Arg), Sightforsoreeyes, Minute Madness.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

“He’s been a promising young colt who took a while to figure it out, but now that he’s figured it out who knows where we go from here,” winning trainer Anthony Mitchell said. “He ran a couple of races where it was like, ‘What’s going on?’ It just didn’t make sense, but ever since he won the [Bruce D. Memorial] at Arlington he’s just got progressively better and better. The owner, I’m so delighted for. He bred the horse and he’s been with me for a very long time and we’ve enjoyed a lot of success. He predominately breeds Illinois-breds and we’ve done pretty good with them. But going ahead and beating the likes of Audible–that’s huge. I mean, I can’t put words to that.”

Mitchell and owner/breeder Richard Otto have also campaigned the likes of 2003 GIII TCA S. winner Summer Mis (Summer Squall) and 2004 GIII Arlington Breeders’ Cup Oaks heroine Lovely Afternoon (Afternoon Deelites) together.

Audible was prepping for next month’s $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, but left his connections scratching their heads a bit.

“He never really seemed like he fired,” said conditioner Todd Pletcher. “You hate to use the track as an excuse, but obviously it rained quite a bit and they sealed the track. [Rider] Javier [Castellano] said up the backside it was pretty uneven; there were dry spots and wet spots. It seemed like he was just never really taking him there handing the track the way we would have hoped. I think the track has changed since the previous meet. They made some adjustments to it and I think it’s still settling in a little bit. I don’t think he really handled it. We didn’t know what everyone else was going to do. We just let Javier ride his race, but he was never really taking him. He had to kind of ask him to get into every position he tried to.”

Pedigree Notes:

Sir Anthony is the 20th graded stakes winner for his sire Mineshaft. Richard Otto purchased second dam Amourette (El Gran Senor) for $30,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 1997. The eventual multiple stakes winner has also produced SW Alette (Lemon Drop Kid) and GSP Lemonade Kid (Lemon Drop Kid). MSP dam Mourette was a $180,000 KEENOV ’15 buyback before selling for $85,000 a year later. Mourette’s

2-year-old colt Cambre (Arch) finished ninth in his rained-off Tampa debut Saturday. Mourette produced a Smiling Tiger filly Jan. 16 before being bred back to Honor Code.

 

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