Harlan (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
December 15, 2018

Red Zero was making the 26th start of his career, and it was his first time in a graded stake. The four year old, over the last few months has been running well, and just thirteen days after winning the ungraded Sir Barton Stakes for ON-breds at WO, he would head south and win again here at GP. It was a good race to make such a debut in, and the horse on the upswing tops some of the more well known names in the process. The winning trainer is Angelos Stable, his first such win in the stake. Jockey C Landeros is also a first time winner. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:41.65, the third quickest in stake history. Note that Sweep the Fire would be a late scratch (after preview press time anyway) for the race. Let’s take a look!

(1/4 Mile- :23.56)- The longest shot on the board, Out There, gets the few fans that bet on him screaming early as the D J C Racing Stables colt takes a length advantage. Also quick out of the gate would be One For Charlie, for TwinTowersRacing, who battled with Out There briefly before letting him have the lead and settling into the second position. Then, we get to the pack. Three lengths off the lead, we have a four wide group which consists of our eventual winner, Red Zero on the rail for Angelos Stable, and Old Fidel running beside him for Gdp Inc. In the third lane of this group is Reach For A Latte, for Saratoga Stud, and he technically had the head in front amongst this group at this time. Handsome ran on the outside of the foursome for D J C Racing Stables. Laffin Parrot took the fifth lane here for Mo Mentum Farm but was a length back. In close as well was Just Moving Along (Gdp Inc). Only American Ideal (Nakamura Stables) looked like he truly wanted to come from off the pace, as he was three lengths behind the rest of the field.

(½ Mile- :47.17)- We actually see quite a few changes in the way the field runs over the second quarter of the race. Out There is still out there in front and running well, while his good looking stablemate, Handsome, looks to join him. He has moved all the way up into second, and is a length back. One For Charlie maintained is stride and was third, but he had more company at the front end now as Reach For A Latte pulled up to his outside. Going back a length and a half, we find Old Fidel, but Red Zero has now dropped back a little, and currently is a length behind him while running on the rail. Laffin Parrot runs even with Red Zero, on the other side of Old Fidel. Just Moving Along is between them as well, half a length back. American Ideal is content to watch the movement from the back.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- The field gets really tightened up as we prepare for the stretch run. Leading up to this, the D J C running mates left a gap between them at the top of the turn, and both Reach For A Latte and One For Charlie were happy to take advantage of it, moving forward together. They take over the top spots, but there was plenty to be concerned about behind them. Red Zero, who had run well on the rail around the turn was gaining on the leaders at the time, and C Landeros realized that Out There was not going to last long. He moved Red Zero down, and Old Fidel also liked this idea. They were each within a length and a half and would hope Handsome would move down even more. That would potentially create a problem for Laffin Parrot, who was advancing along the outside of Handsome. Just Moving Along was weighing his options, and was behind a wall nearly the whole race. American Ideal still lagged behind the field.

(Finish- 1:41.65)- Red Zero and Old Fidel continue moving closer to the leaders, and Red Zero was now emerging has being the better of these two. Reach For A Latte and One For Charlie were running pretty well, and would make them earn it. In the end, Red Zero was simply too good for everyone else, and prevails by half a length over Reach For A Latte. It was very, very close for third between Old Fidel, as well as Laffin Parrot, Just Moving Along, and even One For Charlie. Old Fidel’s steady run sees him get that position. Laffin Parrot had a clean stretch run, and was never hindered by Handsome, which looked like could have been a possibility at the top of the stretch. He is fourth. Just Moving Along, when able to move along, gets fifth, but he had a very tough trip throughout. Sixth goes to One For Charlie who had a better run that the race line will show, however he needed more stretch drive late. American Ideal started moving well late, but started that way too late. He is seventh, ahead of the D J C runners, Out There and Handsome.

About The Winner- Red Zero, trained by Angelos Stable, and ridden by C Landeros, is a four year old gelding by Zero Return, and is out of Red Ryder. He was bred in Ontario by Heavens Own as a third quarter two year old, and acquired by Angelos Stable in a $22.500 claiming race back in July. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 26 starts, second stake win, and first graded win. His career earnings are now $215.280.

Track: Fast
Time: :23²  :47   1:10⁴  1:41³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 35.90
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 2 Paid 345.70

Scratched: Sweep The Fire

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES