Howard Wolowitz, whose Breeders’ Cup hopes fizzled at Del Mar, looks for another big bang as he returns to Tapeta for the $250,000 Holiday Cheer Stakes on Saturday night. The race is one of two six-furlong sprints on the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships slate, with four stakes worth a combined $1 million on the card.
Howard Wolowitz won his maiden in his second career start and the first for Jose D’Angelo’s barn, setting the pace and drawing off powerfully on Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta in June. Although he raced on the front end in that effort, he has been off the pace while contesting three turf stakes since.
In his stakes debut, the Mahony at Saratoga, he was beaten just 1 1/4 lengths after being stymied in the last sixteenth of a mile. He was then up with a rush to win the Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson for 3-year-olds at Kentucky Downs. While the field was soft, Howard Wolowitz barely missed the course record for 6 1/2 furlongs, and earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, his career best.
Howard Wolowitz then traveled to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, where he cut back to five furlongs. He mildly improved position late after being checked on the turn and was beaten a total of three lengths while finishing ninth. D’Angelo said he is “very happy” with how the colt has trained since the Turf Sprint, a race that may have been shorter than optimal.
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“It was a very unlucky race for him,” D’Angelo said. “He didn’t have his best trip. He lost all momentum and got too wide. They went too fast. . . . Six furlongs, I think it’s perfect for him. He loves the Tapeta.”
Howard Wolowitz, who is drawn on the rail in a big field, is the morning-line favorite at 5-2, and will lose one big foe with the expected scratch of 2023 Sovereign Award champion male sprinter Patches O’Houlihan, who was the second choice at 3-1. After the gelding drew far outside in post 12, trainer Robert Tiller said he would scratch, which will let the first also-eligible, Let’s Go Mark, into the main gate in the overflow field.
Even with Patches O’Houlihan out, a salty lineup still includes additional graded stakes winners Dream Shake, Manny Wah, Mo Stash, One Timer, and Senbei.
The versatile Dream Shake is a Grade 2 winner on turf and Grade 1-placed on dirt – and, most critically here, Grade 2-placed on synthetic, over which he has not missed the board. Now 6, the gelding is coming back to original trainer Peter Eurton after a stint with Michael Stidham.
Following a lengthy layoff, Dream Shake won the Van Clief sprinting on the Colonial Downs turf in August for Stidham. He was then fifth after being bumped at the break of the Da Hoss in September.
Eurton is happy to run the gelding with more of a break between races.
“He loves to be fresh. It’s his way or no way,” Eurton said. “He’s just too smart now. He just likes to have his time between starts.”
Dream Shake’s ideal trip would be to rally into a strong pace. Senbei, winner of the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October, would also like targets. While Patches O’Houlihan’s scratch takes away a pace candidate, there is still plenty of speed in the field from Mo Stash – who may have to hustle from post 2 – stakes winner Dude N Colorado, and One Timer, if he shows his best form.
Run Carson, an improving 3-year-old, could be on or just off the pace. The colt is coming off back-to-back wins, taking the Carle Place at Aqueduct with what was then a career-best 97 Beyer, and then further stepping up to post a 101 in an allowance win at Churchill.
Holiday Inaugural
The Holiday Cheer’s sister race, the $250,000 Holiday Inaugural for fillies and mares earlier on the card, features a number of runners with strong affinity for Turfway. Those include Upper Case, who won her maiden locally in February. She returns to the Tapeta off her first stakes win in the Dream Supreme sprinting on the Churchill main track. Form tends to transfer well between that dirt course and Turfway’s Tapeta.
Nice as Pie went 4 for 4 at Turfway last winter, including stakes wins in the Valdale and Serena’s Song. After finishing 10th in the Grade 2 Valley View at a mile on turf at Keeneland last out, she returns to the Tapeta, cuts back to a preferred distance, and adds blinkers Saturday.
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“Nice as Pie’s record at Turfway speaks for itself and she loves the surface there,” trainer Kelsey Danner told Turfway. “We’re adding blinkers for this start to keep her a little more focused.”
Sunday Shoes, unbeaten in three starts at Turfway, won the Satin N Lace on Presque Isle’s Tapeta, and B G Warrior is a multiple stakes winner at Turfway.
A Game, Love to Shop, and Beauty of the Sea made up the trifecta in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion at Woodbine in October. Awesome Treat, Love Appeals, and Miss Arlington are all stakes winners this season.
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