Harlan (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
December 20, 2025

Ever since this summer, Classic Look has developed from a good horse into a great one, making the most of the ungraded stakes that he had competed in. On Saturday, trainer Nakamura Stables gave the gelding his first chance to run in a graded race. Classic Look would make the most of the opportunity, with an impressive wire to wire win. Now, for full disclosure, some of the ungraded stakes that he had been in went for greater purses than the Harlan, including the PRX Dirt Mile at $300.000 in September. Therefore, he looked like one of the top options in this field and was our second choice. Nakamura Stables is the winning trainer, and captures his first Harlan trophy, as does jockey A Fresu. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:40.42, and that is a new stake record! Here’s a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :23.35)- Our eventual winner from Nakamura Stables, Classic Look, is good out of the gate and will lead the field around the opening turn, but he is not alone in doing so. Right to his inside, the Night Rider Stables- trained Molecule Man is right there with him and matching strides. Don’t Fear The Reaper is third while on the outside for TwinTowersRacing, and Temulac Farm’s Without Me stalks the top three. A length behind that one, we have Bears Stable’s Declassified Agent, and there’s a gap of about three lengths to the rest of the field. That’s where we find Poor Decima (Team 7 Illusions) and Suspect The Worst (Nakamura Stables). BC Classic runner, and our pick to win, Fried Chicken (Angelos Stable) is at the rear of the field, as is customary for him early.

(½ Mile- :46.80)- Classic Look is strong in the backstretch, pulling away from Molecule Man by close to a length and a half. Don’t Fear The Reaper continues to be third on the outside while Without Me now looks to come on through between them. Declassified Agent patiently holds his spot right behind them. Suspect The Worst eats into the gap that was in front of him previously and is now a length and a half ahead of Poor Decima. Fried Chicken continues to trail.

(Top of Stretch, 1.2F To Go)- One doesn’t usually say that a horse wins the race in the backstretch, but with the way that Classic Look continued to draw further away from his closest competitors during this portion of the race may have been what clinched his eventual win. He’d lead by two entering the turn, a second position that at that point was now held by Without Me. Classic Look entered the stretch holding the same approximate two length lead on Without Me, and at this point, you may be able to forget everyone else. Third place Don’t Fear The Reaper was four back and fading, and neither Molecule Man or Declassified Agent were making a move. Any progress previously made by Suspect The Worst had also stalled. Fried Chicken was raw at this point, kicking it into gear way too late. Poor Decima trailed the field.

(Finish- 1:40.42)- Into the stretch, the only horse that had a chance to get Classic Look was Without Me. Otherwise, this race was in the bag, and all that was left was to watch Classic Look run. Approaching the wire, there would be no question who would win the race, as Classic Look cruised to win by a length over Without Me. After two and a half lengths from Without Me, our third-place finisher finally crossed, with Suspect The Worst getting the nod on the highly disappointing Fried Chicken. Declassified Agent, Don’t Fear The Reaper, Poor Decima, and Molecule Man round it out.

About The Winner- Classic Look, trained by Nakamura Stables and ridden to victory by A Fresu, is a four-year-old gelding by The Jack and is out of Michilinski. He was bred in New York as a first quarter two-year-old by Nakamura Stables, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his sixth in 27 starts, his third stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $544.470.

I want to thank everyone for reading my articles for another year. Happy Holidays to all, and I’ll be back at it in 2026!

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES