Noble Drama Takes on Sunshine Millions Classic Field

Harold Queen's Noble Drama couldn't reasonably be expected to reach the heights of two highly accomplished family members, but the 5-year-old son of Gone Astray has shown more than enough talent to be considered a serious contender in the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Classic Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park.

Out of the Burning Roma mare Queen Drama, a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Big Drama and full sister to multiple grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama will seek to establish dominance over six rivals in the 1 1/8-mile headliner on the Sunshine Millions Day card that consists of four stakes for Florida-breds worth $600,000 in purses.

A multiple stakes winner in his own right, Noble Drama returned from an eight-month layoff to score a 2 3/4-length win in a Dec. 22 one-turn mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream.

Video: Race 10 (AOC) at GP on 12/22/19

"He ran huge. He just galloped and won like it was nothing," trainer David Fawkes said. "He ran very big. He came in from the Queen farm looking unbelievable."

Noble Drama won the 2018 Florida Sire Stakes Silver Charm at Tampa Bay Downs at a mile and 40 yards and the 2018 Florida Sire Stakes Wildcat Heir at the one-turn mile distance.

"He may be better one turn, but he did win at two turns at Tampa," Fawkes said. "I don't know that it really makes a difference. He just needs a trip."

Emisael Jaramillo has the return mount from the rail.

Equine Authority's Red Crescent is a veteran campaigner who enters the Classic in career-best form. The 6-year-old Overdriven gelding scored back-to-back wins at Gulfstream Park West, including the Sunshine Millions Classic Preview that earned him a run in the Dec. 14 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream. He attended the pace into the stretch before weakening to fourth, beaten three lengths by victorious War Story.

Video: Harlan's Holiday S. (G3)

Irad Ortiz Jr. is scheduled to ride Red Crescent for the first time Saturday from post 6 of seven entered.

Trainer Mark Casse entered two Live Oak Plantation homebreds—Salute With Honor and Tap the Mojo.

The speedy Salute With Honor won back-to-back allowance optional claimers before finishing fourth in the Autumn Stakes (G2) at Woodbine. The 6-year-old To Honor and Serve gelding won an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream in 2018.

Tap the Mojo made a successful transition from synthetic to dirt Dec. 29 to win an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount aboard Salute With Honor from post 5, and Luis Saez rides Tap the Mojo from post 2.

Midwest Thoroughbreds' Jay's Way,  off the board in his past three efforts, is slated to make his third start in the Sunshine Millions Classic, in which he finished second last year after winning in 2018.

Sunshine Millions Turf

Galleon Mast and Class and Cash have won 23 races and more than $1 million in purse earnings combined, each having raced 33 times. The pair will again face off in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf on the Sunshine Millions undercard, but they will also contend with a triple threat from trainer Mark Casse.

The 1 1/16-mile Sunshine Millions Turf for 4-year-olds and up drew a field of 11.

Anne Scott's Galleon Mast, trained by Fawkes, has been especially effective on turf, finishing third or better in 24 of 28 tries. He owns six turf wins at Gulfstream, including the 2018 Turf.

"He's doing great. What a neat horse. He's nice to have around," Fawkes said. "The horse is training good, doing good, had a phenomenal work last week. He did it like it was nothing. He just cruises around there. He's a machine. He does everything right. You'd never know he was 7 years old. He's just a really neat horse."

Galleon Mast raced just four times in 2019, getting started in late June after winning the Millions Turf Preview at Gulfstream Park West by a nose more than seven months prior. Second in two subsequent starts last year, he capped his campaign with a repeat victory in the Turf Preview, this time by a head.

"I don't know what he did when he won the time before, but he seemed to have twisted his ankle a little bit, so we gave him some time off. They did a wonderful job rehabbing him. He's just too nice of a horse to try to train through that little bit of an issue," Fawkes said. "So he went up to (the) farm and they did a great job of taking care of taking care of him while he was off, and he came back in good order. They sent him literally from the field into here, and he did everything right. He always does."

Ortiz is named to ride Galleon Mast, who has 10 wins and $608,135 in earnings, from the outside post.

"He fits right in there, in the upper half. He's been just so good to us, and he's never an issue around the barn," he said. "He's one of those good ol' hard-knockers. He just tries hard all the time."

Edward Short's Class and Cash was injured while finishing fifth in the Turf last winter and did not return until Dec. 1, also going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream. The 8-year-old Exchange Rate gelding opened a clear lead early and saw it diminish gradually before finishing third, beaten two lengths by fellow Turf rival Scraps.

"We were very proud of him the last time. The race was like a stake. It was a very tough race, and he did run well. I'm always proud of him. He's a really cool horse," trainer Jane Cibelli said. "There's not too many spots for him. It looks like it's going to come up pretty tough. Casse has got a couple of really tough horses in there, but we're going to give it a shot."

Claimed for $16,000 by Cibelli in March 2016, Class and Cash has won 13 races and $419,925 in purses. He earned his lone stakes win with a daring rally up the rail in the 2018 Laurel Dash at Laurel Park, a six-furlong turf sprint.

"I was fortunate because when I claimed him, he was eligible for starters, so the last couple years it was easy for him," Cibelli said. "Then they get a big heart because they're winning and they're winning easily. He still shows us that he loves it.

"He really likes it here. He got hurt after he ran in this race last year, and he was off all summer, and then we brought him back. That last race, he may have needed it, honestly, which you see sometimes in these older horses. But he's doing super good. He's doing as well as he ever has. It's just a question of whether he's a little bit long in the tooth."

Stablemates Curlin's Honor, March to the Arch, and Souper Scat Daddy will represent Casse in the Turf. John Oxley and Breeze Easy's Curlin's Honor is a two-time stakes winner, the most recent coming in his previous start, the Nov. 9 Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. He ran second or third in five consecutive graded stakes last year at Woodbine.

Live Oak Plantation homebred March to the Arch was fifth by a length last out in the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland. A 2018 maiden winner at Gulfstream, he captured the 1 1/16-mile Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) last June. Live Oak also campaigns Souper Scat Daddy, a two-time winner from four starts making his stakes debut.

Other Sunshine Millions Stakes Action

In the first stakes on the card, E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) winner Starship Jubilee will line up against a field of 10 other fillies and mares, ages 4 and up, going 1 1/16 miles in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf.

The 7-year-old daughter of Indy Wind won three of her seven stakes efforts last year and never finished off the board. She comes into Saturday's test off a runner-up finish in the Nov. 28 Cardinal Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs. Trained by Kevin Attard for Blue Heaven Farm, Starship Jubilee will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 7 as the morning-line 3-5 favorite.

Extravagant Kid will look to win the $100,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes after taking the five-furlong Janus Stakes on the same course Dec. 28. The 7-year-old Kiss the Kid gelding is slated to face a field of seven other older horses as the morning-line 2-1 favorite, including Lady's Island, who brings a five-race win streak, topped by a 6 3/4-length romp in the Dec. 14 Sugar Swirl Stakes (G3) last time out over the track and distance.

Entries: Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 8

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:03 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Beautiful Lover (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	9/2
2	2Just Sassy (FL)	Luca Panici	118	Christine Wasilewski	50/1
3	3Decorated Ace (FL)	Luis Saez	118	Michael J. Maker	6/1
4	4Raki (FL)	Carlos D. Lugo	118	Eduardo Azpurua, Jr.	20/1
5	5Admiral's Win (FL)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	118	Juan P. Rizo	20/1
6	6Sweet Hitch Hiker (FL)	Jairo Rendon	118	Lilli Kurtinecz	20/1
7	7Starship Jubilee (FL)	Javier Castellano	124	Kevin Attard	3/5
8	8Bienville Street (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Cam M. Gambolati	15/1
9	9Liza Star (FL)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	120	Peter R. Walder	2/1
10	10Una Luna (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Jose A. Gallegos	8/1
11	11Vow to Recover (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Elizabeth L. Dobles	20/1

Entries: Sunshine Millions Turf S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:06 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Max K. O. (FL)	Luis Saez	118	Robert N. Falcone, Jr.	20/1
2	2Curlin's Honor (FL)	Javier Castellano	122	Mark E. Casse	9/2
3	3Scraps (FL)	Jairo Rendon	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	10/1
4	4Souper Scat Daddy (FL)	Emisael Jaramillo	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
5	5Jais's Solitude (FL)	Joe Bravo	118	Eddie Kenneally	10/1
6	6Class and Cash (FL)	Rajiv Maragh	120	Jane Cibelli	8/1
7	7Muggsamatic (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Jason Servis	4/1
8	8Second Mate (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Michael J. Maker	10/1
9	9March to the Arch (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Mark E. Casse	7/2
10	10Roddick (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Juan Alvarado	8/1
11	11Galleon Mast (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	David Fawkes	6/1