No Nay Never, Havana return in Swale

Champagne hero Havana will revert to one turn for his sophomore debut (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) They’re both Kentucky-bred three-year-olds colts owned in full or in partnership by Coolmore, but No Nay Never and Havana have taken, and will continue to after Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Swale at Gulfstream Park, vastly divergent paths. After taking a 4 1/2-furlong maiden event last April at Keeneland by two lengths, No Nay Never was sent to Europe by his progressive conditioner, Wesley Ward, where the Scat Daddy colt captured both the Norfolk Stakes at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, and the Prix Morny at Deauville, France’s leading summertime dash for juveniles. Meanwhile, the Todd Pletcher-trained Havana looked like a champion-in-waiting coming down the stretch in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last November. The 5-2 favorite off a taxing victory in the Champagne at Belmont Park over the highly-regarded Honor Code, Havana appeared to have overcome a wide draw and trip when opening up a two-length lead in the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile under hand encouragement, but relaxed enough to get passed by New Year’s Day in the final yards.

The seven-furlong Swale marks the dirt debut for No Nay Never, but Ward is
unconcerned about the switch in surfaces.

“It seems to me that Gulfstream is his preferred surface. That’s a little
scary with all he’s accomplished,” he said. “I’m really excited for this race. I
usually don’t get too excited for races. I’m really excited that Havana’s going
to be in there. Obviously, you’d like an easier race to come back in, but he is
training so good right now. I think it will let him show his true class.”

Ward has publicly stated his plans for No Nay Never include a return trip to
Royal Ascot in June for the St James’s Palace Stakes, a one-mile trip on turf,
and the King’s Bishop, a seven-furlong dirt dash at Saratoga in August.

Havana is playing catch-up after a long post-Breeders’ Cup spell, with the
Kentucky Derby still a possible goal for the gray son of Dunkirk.

“We just wanted to freshen him up a little bit after the Breeders’ Cup and we
got behind schedule a touch, but we’ve been able to make up some ground with a
solid work pattern over the past month or so,” Pletcher said. “His fitness level
looks good. I think he’s coming up to it well.

“I thought he ran very well (in the Breeders’ Cup). Unfortunately, he
finished second. It looked like he was going to win at the eighth pole and he
kind of hung the last part of it. We’re trying to determine how far he wants to
go.”

From a class perspective, the other five Swale entrants have form to find.
These include Prudhoe Bay and Breitling Flyer, who were separated by a neck at
the finish of the $50,000 OBS Sprint Championship at the Ocala Training Center
on January 21.

Dania Beach winner Mr Speaker heads a competitive renewal of the Palm Beach (Lauren King/Adam Coglianese Photography) Following the Swale, a dozen three-year-olds will line up in the Grade 3, $150,000 Palm Beach at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. Mr Speaker, an impressive 2 3/4-length winner of the Dania Beach in December for Shug McGaughey, will attempt to rebound off a modest seventh-place finish in the January 25 Holy Bull on dirt. The son of Pulpit was a well-beaten seventh that day, but adds Lasix for the Palm Beach. Trainer Chad Brown saddles two leading contenders in Storming Inti and Pleuven. Storming Inti enters on a three-race win streak in $100,000 stakes — the Awad at Belmont, and the Pulpit and Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream — while the French import Pleuven was a closing third to Mr Speaker in the Dania Beach in his U.S. debut.

“Winning breeds confidence, I really believe in that. Horses can get
confident and get on a roll and this one, mentally, is a very strong horse,”
said Brown of Storming Inti. “He always trains with a lot of interest.
Particularly in his last race, he was very determined that day to win (by a
head). He’s just been a pleasure to have in the barn.

“He took a little while to settle into American training, but once we got
over the hump and got him into a nice rhythm with his training he’s acted like a
nice horse,” said Brown of Pleuven. “I was thinking a mile (in the Dania Beach)
might be a little short for him, but I figured it would be a good spot to get
him started. I thought he ran well and finished well, and a mile and an eighth
should be very good for him.”

Other probable contenders in the 12-horse field are Cabo Cat, who placed in
both the Dania Beach and Kitten’s Joy for Mark Hennig; Gala Award, a $1.55
million yearling purchase who broke his maiden at Gulfstream in January for
Pletcher; and Can’thelpbelieving, a course-and-distance maiden winner for Graham
Motion January 11.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com