Harlan (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
December 20, 2025
Saturday’s action at GP will include the thirteenth running of the Harlan, a Grade 3 on the main track that goes a mile and a sixteenth. The race debuted on the schedule in 2011 but only would begin being held every year once it gained graded status in 2016. It’s never had a particularly high purse, and the present level of $150.000 has been constant for four years. Our most recent Harlan winner Themefrom Antarctica, for Panionios Racing. He’s still active and competing at the graded level but does so now for Ajm Stables. For this year, we will have eight taking part, so let’s take a look at them:
1- Molecule Man (Night Rider Stables, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- Picked up by the trainer in July for $20.000 in private sales after running a few races at the free tracks. Night Rider Stables wasted no time sending him into the $150.000 PID Mile, a race that Molecule Man would end up winning. He would be mediocre in the race that followed but should be fresh now with about two months of rest.
2- Classic Look (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A Fresu)- In 26 starts, this four-year-old gelding has won five times, and his biggest score came two starts ago in the PRX Dirt Mile, a $300.000 race, in September. Otherwise, most of his career has been in overnights but there are a few stakes sprinkled around in spots. Solid last time out against tough company in the $250.000 Empire Classic, where he was third against fellow NY-Breds. Should be competitive here.
3- Without Me (Temulac Farm, ridden by L Dettori)- In August, Temulac Farm picked this one up in private sales for $100.000 hoping that the gelding would be able to continue to be competitive in graded races. So far, Without Me has made three starts in his latest silks and didn’t impress right off the bat. However, last time out he placed second in the CC Jewel at CD and will have a chance at revenge on that race’s winner.
4- Don’t Fear The Reaper (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J Bravo)- Up until July of this year, you could make the case that Don’t Fear The Reaper was afraid of the winner’s circle, but recently he has gone on to win two times out of four starts. He’s hit the board in all of them, but none of them are the type of races that will intimidate others in this field. What has done is earned him this opportunity to run at the stake level.
5- Poor Decima (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- This will be just the sixth start for this three-year-old gelding, and it is his first time running at the stake level. He’s only won once but does come here off a couple of second place runs in allowances while having a strong work at TP in anticipation of this. Could be the wild card in this field.
6- Suspect The Worst (Nakamura Stables, ridden by M J Husbands)- For his last start, Suspect The Worst was sent to the Grade 2 Clark as the trainer hoped to build on a strong run of form that had come on the turf. Suspect The Worst was a non-factor that day, and will be facing lesser competition this time around, so he should represent himself better. Recent SRF’s have been very good.
7- Fried Chicken (Angelos Stable, ridden by L Salles)- We have been seeing this horse compete in some of the biggest races out there recently, and that included the BC Classic last time out. Against the best out there, Fried Chicken finished sixth, so certainly nothing to be ashamed of. It was a win in the Whitney that helped him make that race, to top off a great year. However, Angelos Stable isn’t done with him in 2025, sending him to run for one of the smaller purses that he has seen in a while. He’s the class of the field, for sure, as those recent “off the board” finishes are all against far superior competition.
8- Declassified Agent (Bears Stable, ridden by Ro Maragh)- Went wire to wire in his last race to capture the $200.000 CC Jewel, which was a big leap forward from anything that he had been running in recently. Sure, you can go way back and find bigger races, but since arriving with Bears Stable, he had mainly been in starter allowances at FE and did well in them. That led to his entry in the CC Jewel, and fresh off of that, we’re going to see how good he can be. Selfishly, I’ll always keep a closer eye on Declassified foals, too.
Prediction: 7-2-3-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES