Taghleeb Going for Three in a Row in Mac Diarmida

Three contenders will be looking to capture their second graded stakes victory of the year in the March 4 $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Owner Michael Hui and trainer Mike Maker are hoping in the 1 3/8-mile turf contest to extend Taghleeb's string of stakes wins to three. The Shadwell Farm-bred 6-year-old son of Hard Spun has an affinity for Gulfstream as indicated by his 3-2-1 record out of seven starts at the South Florida track.

Taghleeb comes into the Mac Diarmida off a head victory in the W.L. McKnight Handicap (G3T), which was his first graded stakes win. He'll face five challengers again from that last start, including third-place finisher Patterson Cross, who was only a length off the leader in his first stakes start for owner and breeder James Karp and co-owner James Patterson. A 4-year-old son of Arch, Patterson Cross is trained by Bill Mott.'

NOVAK: Taghleeb Lands W. L. McKnight Score

Three Diamonds Farm's Bigger Picture is also in position for a consecutive graded stakes win, coming off a 1 1/4-length victory Jan. 29 in the John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Sam Houston Race Park, where he defeated Oscar Nominated and Greengrassofyoming. Bigger Picture, a 6-year-old gelded son of Badge of Silver, has finish out of the money once in his last four starts. His only poor result was an eighth-place finish in the Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes, his first start on dirt since August of 2014. Bigger Picture was bred in Kentucky by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. 

SHEA: Bigger Picture Tops Maker Trifecta in Connally Turf Cup

A win in the Mac Diarmida won't give Flatlined a consecutive graded stakes victory, but two out of three would be all right. The 5-year-old gelded son of Flatter   made his 2017 debut a heart-pounder, getting a neck victory over multiple French group winner Almanaar in the grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes Jan. 14. Almanaar extracted his revenge in their next start by taking the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1), while a wide trip left Flatlined to finish seventh.

NOVAK: Almanaar Surges to Gulfstream Park Turf 'Cap Score

Brian Hytrek, Rodney Paden, and Ryan Kuhn own Flatlined, who they bought out of the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale for $65,000 from the Denali consignment. He has earned $350,265 to date.

Another intriguing entry in the Mac Diarmida is Godolphin's homebred Watershed, who will be making his first start on turf against a field of 12.

Watershed was entered in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming turf race Jan. 29 at Gulfstream but the race was taken off the grass to a sloppy and sealed main track, where the 5-year-old son of Bernardini   coasted to a 9 1/2-length victory.

 

"We wanted to run him on the turf the last time and it got rained off. We just want to try turf," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. "He's out of an all-turf female family. He works well on it, and we're going to give it a try. If it rains off, we'll be OK with that, too."

 

Watershed has breezed four times since early January over the Palm Meadows turf course, including a sharp five-furlong move in 1:00.90 Feb. 17, the second-fastest of 13 horses.

"He's a nice horse but has not been consistently good. Hopefully he'll like the turf," McLaughlin said. "If he likes it, we'll have a chance at a nice future with him."