Shanghai schools; Holy Bull rivals Dewey Square, Tulira Castle
aim to step up
Unbeaten champion Shanghai Bobby made a quick jaunt Thursday from his Palm
Meadows home to Gulfstream Park, where he schooled in the paddock with promising
stablemate Verrazano during the 2ND race. The Todd Pletcher trainee was getting
a field trip in advance of Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes.
“He hasn’t been to the racetrack or anywhere besides Palm Meadows since he
ran in the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile on November 3),” Pletcher said. “We wanted
him to get familiar with his surroundings here.
“He came in the paddock very well and saddled great, so we’re looking forward
to Saturday. I’m really pleased with the way he’s training.
“I’m OK with our post position (the rail). Normally you wouldn’t want to draw
the one if it was a one-turn mile. I wouldn’t want to be there. But in the
two-turn races here, I think the inside post is an advantage. He’s been in every
scenario before and is an experienced horse, so I don’t think it will bother him
at all.
“Our plan is to run in the Holy Bull and the Florida Derby (Grade 1 on March
30) with a little space in between. If we decide after the Holy Bull that we
need a race in between, we’ve got some flexibility with his schedule, which is
why we wanted to get started early to create as many options as possible.”
Shanghai Bobby’s rivals are aiming to step up against the champ.
The 1 1/16-mile contest has attracted a 10-horse field exceptionally deep in
“I don’t remember all the Holy Bulls, but it’s a tough
After breaking his maiden at Hoosier Park by nearly 12
“He ran a good race. He’s still a little bit green,” Romans
The dark bay son of Bernardini has trained well at Gulfstream Park
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“I think he’s developed mentally more than anything,” Romans said of Dewey Square’s development since his last start. “He seems to have
more confidence out there than he did back then.”
Corey Lanerie, who has the return mount aboard Dewey
Square, will have options depending on how the Holy Bull unfolds.
“I think you can do anything you want him to do,” said
Romans, who was honored with the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer in 2012.
One of those Dewey Square will have to face on Saturday is Tulira Castle, who
will be making his stakes bow in the Holy Bull. Trainer James DiVito pronounced
the dark bay son of War Pass ready for the step up in class.
“I think he’s coming around at the right time. He’s bigger
and he’s more mature. We haven’t over-raced him and I think his development is
good right now,” DiVito said.
Tulira Castle exits an impressive 2 1/4-length
victory under Javier Castellano in a one-turn, entry-level allowance/optional
claimer at
Gulfstream Park on December 8. Previously, the sophomore raced on Polytrack at
Arlington Park and Keeneland, producing a pair of seconds and a maiden score.
DiVito understands that Tulira Castle faces a huge task in
the Holy Bull, but he has confidence that his Kentucky-bred colt won’t back down
from the challenge.
“He’s a very, very aggressive horse. When he’s in company
or in a race, he’s a horse that thrives on competition,” DiVito explained. “It’s all
about heart, just like with any athlete.”
Tulira Castle will make his first start around two turns in
the Holy Bull.
“He seems to handle his works good and he handles the turns
good,” DiVito noted. “Castellano seems to think he’ll handle two turns good. His
breeding said he should.”
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