Neck ‘n Neck seemed poised to join Fort Larned among the
handicap elite in 2013 after closing out his three-year-old campaign with a
convincing triumph in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs, one day
before his trainer, Ian Wilkes, saddled his more established stablemate for a
victory in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
A couple weeks later, unfortunately, Neck ‘n Neck sustained
a career-threatening injury, a fractured sesamoid in his left front ankle. The
son of Flower Alley underwent surgery and, against the odds, returned to action
11 months later.
“It’s always disappointing when you have a horse with so much
promise. But I’m very fortunate to get him back,” Wilkes said. “It was a serious injury. But
they did a good job with the surgery and his recovery. The aftercare was great.
“You have to look at it a different way. Yes, it was disappointing,
but I’m lucky to have the horse back now.”
With Fort Larned recently retired to
stallion duty at Adena Springs in Kentucky, Wilkes is hopeful that Neck ‘n Neck
can become a force in the handicap ranks this season.
“He’s got all the attributes to do that. He’s got the
talent,” stated Wilkes, whose four-year-old charge has won five races and $687,852 in purses. “He’s won a Grade 2. He’s just got to step up a
little bit more to be a Grade 1 horse.”
Neck ‘n Neck is scheduled to step back
into stakes company Sunday at Gulfstream Park for the $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday.
The 1 1/16-mile stakes will be his second start back off the long layoff. In his
first start back, the Kentucky-bred came from well off the pace to
finish a close third in an Indiana Downs stakes on October 5.
“I was very pleased
that he came off such a long layoff and got beat by just a length,” Wilkes said.
Neck ‘n Neck had been targeted to run in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap
on November 29, but Wilkes was unable to find a prep race for the Churchill
Downs handicap.
“I wasn’t going to take on Will Take Charge and Game on
Dude without a prep race,” Wilkes explained, speaking of the horses who went on to finish 1-2
in the Clark.
The Harlan’s Holiday is a traditional prep for the Grade 1, $500,000 Donn
Handicap at Gulfstream on February 8, but Wilkes hesitates to look ahead too
far in the future with Neck ‘n Neck.
“We’ll take it one race of a time,” Wilkes
said. “We’re starting off a new season with him. Let’s take it one race at a
time and see if he comes out OK. Definitely, we’d like to look at the Donn.”
Neck ‘n Neck, who’ll be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., drew the No. 1 post
position in a field of eight that includes a pair of rivals coming off
back-to-back victories — Csaba and River Seven.
Csaba captured last year’s Harlan’s Holiday by
nearly four lengths, and is exiting a pair of victories at Calder since finishing
second in the Quality Road at Gulfstream on October 5, including the Grade 3
Fred W. Hooper Handicap.
“He obviously likes
this time of year,” trainer Phil Gleaves said. “I’m looking forward to running
him on Sunday.”
River Seven will seek his third straight stakes score after winning the Labeeb at Woodbine and
Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill. The Harlan’s Holiday will be only the second start on dirt for
the Johannesburg gelding, who finished second over the Fort Erie main track in the Prince of Wales, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
“I’ve always
wanted to try him again on dirt, even though he’s won his last two on turf,”
trainer Nick Gonzalez admitted. “It’s one of the reasons we brought him here: to run
him on dirt. He’s always trained well over this racetrack. We’ve had this race
in our plans.”
Bourbon Courage, who hasn’t won since capturing the Grade 2 Super Derby in September 2012, figures to make a strong bid for victory in
the Harlan’s Holiday after finishing a late-charging fourth in the Clark.
“He hasn’t won for a while. I’d like to see the horse get
his confidence back,” trainer Kellyn Gorder remarked. “It seems like he’s in great
shape now. He’s matured a lot mentally. We’re hoping this is the year.”
Rounding out the Harlan’s Holiday field are Purple
Egg, a six-length winner of the Barbaro last out; Grade 3-placed multiple stakes
scorer Sr. Quisqueyano, who captured the Quality Road three back; Grade 1
runner-up and stakes hero Reveron; and multiple stakes-placed Joshua’s Comprise.
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