Abaan Looks to Keep Rolling in Mac Diarmida

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Alex Daigneault's Abaan  goes after his fourth consecutive win, third at the Championship Meet, and second straight in graded company in the March 5 $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park.

Abaan drew the rail and was installed as the 8-5 program favorite in the Mac Diarmida over 10 rivals, including Todd Pletcher-trained stablemates Shamrocket  and Gloucestershire . Luis Saez gets the call.

Saez has been aboard for each of Abaan's races this winter at Gulfstream, which include a front-running 4 1/2-length triumph in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Dec. 24 and a victory in the 1 1/2-mile W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) Jan. 29. Unlike his previous two races, Abaan sat just off the lead for more than a mile in the McKnight before taking over and pulling clear to win by two lengths

"I liked the way he proved that he doesn't have to be on the lead in order to be effective," Pletcher said. "He rated kindly. The main thing is he likes to get into a good rhythm and just keep going."

Pletcher took over Abaan's training last year and, after sprinting him seven furlongs in his 2021 debut, switched him to longer turf races where he has thrived. The 5-year-old son of Will Take Charge   began his current streak with an open allowance win Nov. 14 at Aqueduct Racetrack going the Mac Diarmida distance.

"I think he found his specialty in these marathon turf races. Now he's shown that he can go two miles, and then he backed up and ran well," Pletcher said. "It seems like what he enjoys the most."

Shamrocket (6-1) and Gloucestershire (8-1) will break side-by-side from outside posts 10 and 11. Donegal Racing's Shamrocket, winner of the Point of Entry Stakes and fifth by less than two lengths in the Red Smith Stakes (G2T) to end 2021, made his 2022 debut going 1 1/8 miles on the dirt in the Jan. 15 Sunshine Classic Stakes, coming from off the pace to beat fellow Florida-breds by a half-length.

Pletcher wheeled Shamrocket back seven days later in the Sunshine Turf, moved off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta, where he got bumped at the start and raced two-wide to be third behind Mac Diarmida rival Lure Him In .

"It didn't really work out. We were originally pointing for the Sunshine Turf and we decided to run in the (Classic) the week before, which worked out. He was able to win," Pletcher said. "I actually think he was OK with the seven days, it's just the race didn't develop the right way for him. He didn't get any pace to run at. We've been pointing to this since then. He's had a good series of works and seems to be in good form."

Team Valor International's Gloucestershire made his first three starts in England before coming to the U.S. last summer, finishing third behind Abaan in his domestic debut at Aqueduct. He won a 1 1/2-mile allowance optional claiming Jan. 16 at Gulfstream.

Pletcher's trio will have to face a quintet sent out by trainer Mike Maker in Glynn County , Kygo , Media Blitz , Temple , and Tide of the Sea .

Three Diamonds Farm owns both Tide of the Sea and Glynn County. Tide of the Sea, a 6-year-old son of the late English Channel, went off the narrow favorite in last year's Mac Diarmida, pressing eventual winner Phantom Currency  throughout and getting within a head at the top of the stretch before settling for second, beaten less than a length. He has been winless in his last three starts since taking the Japan Cup Turf Stakes at Laurel Park last October.

"Tide of the Sea ran a solid race last year, he was just second-best on the day," Maker said. "We've had some eye issues with him, so we think (the blinkers) will improve his performance. He's been a great horse for us. He doesn't need to take his track with him."

Grade 1-placed Glynn County made up some ground along the inside to move into second, three lengths behind Abaan, in the McKnight but flattened out and finished fifth in his first race in three months.

"Glynn County hadn't run in a while, so he needed that race. He's done well since and I expect him to be one of my better chances," Maker said. "He needs a firmer ground; that's his best go."

Completing the Maker quintet are David Staudacher and Paradise Farms' Temple and Michael Hui, Hooties Racing, and WSS Racing's Media Blitz, who ran third last time out in the McKnight, and German-bred Kygo, who has yet to win in two North American starts.

Clement Duo Top The Very One Field

Stablemates Beautiful Lover  and Sorrel , separated by a neck in the La Prevoyante (G3T) Jan. 29, will find themselves in the same starting gate again among a field of nine set to gather for Saturday's $150,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T) going 1 3/8-miles for older fillies and mares on the turf.

Moyglare Stud Farm's Beautiful Lover won the 2019 Boiling Springs Stakes and had run second in both the 2020 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) and Matchmaker Stakes (G3T) before breaking through with her first graded triumph in the La Prevoyante. Newly minted Eclipse Award winner Joel Rosario negotiated a ground-saving trip before swinging outside in mid-stretch to run down Sorrel.

Augustin Stable and James Wigan's Sorrel won three straight races in England before making her U.S. debut in the 2021 Orchid Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream, where she ran third to subsequent grade 1 winner War Like Goddess . The Dansili  mare didn't race again for eight months, returning to be fifth in the Long Island Stakes (G3T) last November at Aqueduct. She was seventh, beaten less than five lengths, in the Via Borghese Stakes Dec. 31 in her La Prevoyante prep.

Rosario is named to ride Beautiful Lover back from post 8 with Sorrel and jockey Jose Ortiz alongside in far outside post 9.

Flaxman Holdings' French group 3 winner Harajuku  ran second, beaten a nose by multiple graded stakes winner Always Shopping  in the Via Borghese, taking a short lead at the top of the stretch and dueling through the lane before coming up just short. Trainer Graham Motion decided to pass on the longer La Prevoyante and wait for this spot.

"I kicked myself a little bit for not running back last time on Pegasus Day, but the flipside of that is she's a fresher filly for this race," Motion said. "I thought she ran very well last time. I think she really appreciates the firm ground, whereas she may not be as effective on softer ground you get in New York and such in the fall.

"I do wonder how far she wants to go, and that was part of the reason for not running her last time. I was kind of concerned about the mile and a half. I think she really is like a mile and a quarter type."

Entries: Mac Diarmida S. (G2T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 05, 2022, Race 11

• Grade IIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Abaan (KY)	Luis Saez	124	Todd A. Pletcher	8/5
2	2Kygo (GER)	Paco Lopez	118	Michael J. Maker	20/1
3	3Glynn County (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Michael J. Maker	15/1
4	4Tide of the Sea (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	122	Michael J. Maker	20/1
5	5Lure Him In (FL)	Junior Alvarado	118	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	12/1
6	6Safe Conduct (ON)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Philip M. Serpe	15/1
7	7Fantasioso (ARG)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	124	Ignacio Correas, IV	15/1
8	8Temple (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Michael J. Maker	9/2
9	9Media Blitz (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Michael J. Maker	8/1
10	10Shamrocket (FL)	Javier Castellano	122	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
11	11Gloucestershire (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1

Entries: The Very One S. (G3T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 05, 2022, Race 5

• Grade IIIT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 2:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Kelsey's Cross (FL)	Romero Ramsay Maragh	120	Patrick L. Biancone	30/1
2	2Harajuku (IRE)	Junior Alvarado	118	H. Graham Motion	7/2
3	3Onyx (FL)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	118	Juan Alvarado	30/1
4	4Quinevere (GER)	Javier Castellano	118	Michael J. Maker	20/1
5	5Virginia Joy (GER)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	2/1
6	6Mezcal (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
7	7Family Way (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Brendan P. Walsh	12/1
8	8Beautiful Lover (FL)	Joel Rosario	123	Christophe Clement	4/1
9	9Sorrel (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Christophe Clement	9/2