The Holy Bull Stakes (Grade 3) (KYD)- $200.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
January 30, 2021
It was good to see a lot of excitement for the Holy Bull, and hopefully this continues as the prep race season continues and intensifies. Most people in the pick’em felt like this race would be won by either Locamotive and Smokin Luka, and one of them stepped up and lived up to the hype. That would be Locamotive, who was also our pick in the preview, putting forth an impressive performance for his trainer, Aer Stables. Sharing the second place points were Di Home Run Hitter and Gilgo Beach. It might not have been a home run for Di Home Run Hitter, but we can call it a clutch double off the wall, setting him up for good things. His trainer, Patterson Stables was very confident and not concerned at all with his last race, and with this result, we can make that race a throw out now. Gilgo Beach can probably do the same for the Jerome thanks to his run here today. There is no such worry about Locamotive, who not only gets the win here, but asserts himself as one of the top threats for the KYD. It’s early, but it’s time to get the hype going. Aer Stables also has now won the Holy Bull for the second year in a row, and his winner last year, Brittle, became a BEL champion. D Davis is the winning jockey, his first such win. Congratulations to them! The time of the race was 1:41.90, which is not one of the quicker times when the race was run at this distance, but all that was needed. Let’s take a look!
(¼ Mile- :23.61)- Five horses vie for the initial lead out of the gate, but a little extra push from Gilgo Beach gives the D J C Racing Stables entry the advantage and he actually begins to open up just a little bit as they enter the opening turn. Our eventual winner, Locamotive runs with this group as well for Aer Stables, and is in the second spot for now running in the third lane. He has Settle The Score Vr running to his inside and within a length in third, and the Patterson Stables’ entry, Di Home Run Hitter isn’t taking pitches early, and runs fourth. Last City, out of Lemax Farms, was part of this initial group, too, but begins to settle back just a little bit. Meanwhile, we see Ptyrannical make a big move in the opening turn for Arindel. He was not part of the initial rush to the front, but is with this group after a quarter mile. As this goes on, both Smokin Luka (Mb Stables) and Get Set Gone (Serenity Stables) settle into mid-pack positions with Plan To Wheel (Fractious) and Awesome Return (Axeman) nearby. The trailers are Born Sassy (Mb Stables) and Doctors Order (Crocker Ggs).
(½ Mile- :47.18)- Pytrannical is very determined to get to the lead early, as if the finish line was imminent, and takes the lead early in the backstretch while maintaining his outside run. Once a head in front of Gilgo Beach, he is content with that and holds that position. Gilgo Beach still runs a good race, and is half a length over Locamotive. That one is doing a great job simply running the race that he wants to run while maintaining a clear lane in front of him. Settle The Score Vr remains four, but is stalking the top three with an open lane to the inside if he wanted to advance. Di Home Run Hitter sits just off the lead about two lengths back with Last City nearby. Smokin Luka continues to run in the middle of the field without making a move to the front and Get Set Gone is within a length of him. Others were still waiting to make their presence known in the race.
(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- After letting Ptyrannical lead the way for the remainder of the backstretch, Locamotive began his push to the front early in the turn. He handled the turn exceptionally well, and made the pass for the lead very easily. Gilgo Beach hung right with him, and at the top of the stretch, these were the top two as Ptyrannical was about to drop out of it. Settle The Score Vr eventually took that lane to the inside that had been staring right in front of him, but if I were his trainer, I’m wishing he took that a little earlier. Still, he is in a good spot here for the stretch. Di Home Run Hitter is fifth, right behind the top three, and is looking for room to strike. Smokin Luka gives him a little company now as that one tries to live up to the support given to him by the bettors. Last City was dropping out of it, and Get Set Gone was hoping to have success with a wide trip. Born Sassy would take it even wider. Plan To Wheel was boxed in a little bit here, and looking for room to run. Awesome Return and Doctors Order moved to the rail and hoped for the best.
(Finish- 1:41.90)- Locamotive takes command of the race early in the stretch and opens up a length and a half lead as Gilgo Beach can no longer run with him. Approaching the wire, it was all Locamotive as he scores the second straight win for Aer Stables in the Holy Bull. Di Home Run Hitter came up clutch in the late innings to get up for second, sharing that part of the purse and the points with it with Gilgo Beach. Settle The Score Vr is fourth, but never made a larger bid for the win. Plan To Wheel made some late passes to get fifth, and Smokin Luka had bettors ripping up their tickets with a sixth place run as he never gets involved. He held off Get Set Gone for that spot as those two seemed to be together for most of the race. Rounding it out, it’s Doctors Order, Born Sassy, Last City, Ptyrannical, and Awesome Return.
About The Winner- Locamotive, trained by Aer Stables and ridden to victory by D Davis, is a three year old colt by Manhunt, and is out of Yosemite. He was bred by Two Hearts One Love in California as a second quarter two year old, and acquired by Aer Stables unraced in private sales in April 2020 for $40.000. The win is his third in six starts, and his second graded win. His career earnings are now $360.400.
Track: Fast
Time: :233 :47 1:104 1:414
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 6 – 7 Paid 46.80, 6 – 9 Paid 49.80
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 7 – 9 Paid 660.80, 6 – 9 – 7 Paid 660.80
Scratched: Fast Account, Freakin Out, Judicial Tyranny, Property Rights
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
