Tatweej Seeks Return on Investment in Harlan's Holiday

A little over three years after he lit up the sales ring by selling for $2.5 million at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Tatweej has an opportunity to grab headlines not for his price tag, but for his stakes performance. 

Riding a three-race winning streak, the 4-year-old son of Tapit  faces Tax, Phat Man, Math Wizard, and three others in the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) Dec. 12 at Gulfstream Park. A 1 1/16-mile dirt stakes for older males, the Harlan's Holiday has the potential to vault horses into the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23.

His first stakes start has been a long time coming. Though he recorded 24 works as a 2-year-old and 3-year-old, he never made it to the races. He didn't start until the summer of his 4-year-old year, finishing third in a one-mile maiden race at Gulfstream Park June 21.

He returned a month later to win a maiden race by 3 3/4 lengths, and two allowance optional claiming victories followed locally, both over the mile trip. He won a first-level race on a good track Aug. 22 before slashing his way on top with a class rise in the slop Sept. 25 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

"It took a little while to kind of get to the races, but he's been ultra-consistent since he has," Pletcher said. "This is kind of his coming-out party, so to speak, if he's able to handle this step up."

The third-most expensive horse at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he is out of the grade 1-winning Tiznow mare Tiz Miz Sue, a millionaire who won or placed in 17 stakes. Her three foals to race are winners.

Bought by Shadwell Stud from the Paramount Sales consignment at Keeneland, he raced twice for Shadwell before carrying the colors of owner Alshareef Hazzaa Shaker Alabdali in his past two starts.

Edgard Zayas has the return call aboard Tatweej, who will be taking on six rivals with vastly more stakes experience.

One of those is Phat Man, a 6-year-old gelded son of Munnings and a three-time stakes winner who took the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) on the Gulfstream Park main track last winter after a runner-up finish in the 2019 Harlan's Holiday.

He makes his second start following a long layoff after running sixth, beaten four lengths, with a wide trip in the Lafayette Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select at Keeneland Nov. 7. Running second in that race was True Timber, the subsequent winner of last week's Cigar Mile Handicap (G1).

"I thought he got a little tired, which goes to show you he needed one under his belt," trainer Kent Sweezey said.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard in last year's Harlan's Holiday and Hooper, returns in the saddle aboard the Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing, and Two Rivers Racing Stable-owned runner.

Math Wizard and Tax are other graded stakes winners in the race Saturday, though neither has raced for months. Math Wizard races with blinkers off.

Entries: Harlan's Holiday S. (G3)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, December 12, 2020, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:09 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tax (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Danny Gargan	2/1
2	2Phat Man (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	J. Kent Sweezey	5/2
3	3Identifier (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Oscar M. Gonzalez	15/1
4	4Eye of a Jedi (KY)	Marcos Meneses	123	Steve Budhoo	8/1
5	5Royal Urn (NJ)	Joe Bravo	121	Kelly J. Breen	12/1
6	6Math Wizard (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	9/2
7	7Tatweej (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	121	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1