Tappan Street return is scheduled for Friday, December 19, when the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner is entered to compete in a one-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park. The three-year-old colt will be making his first start since the spring after being sidelined earlier this year.
The son of Into Mischief has not raced since sustaining a condylar fracture in his right front leg while training at Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 3, a race ultimately won by Sovereignty. His most recent appearance came on March 29, when he upset that rival in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby.
“We’re excited to see him back in the entry box,” said Elliott Walden, President and CEO of WinStar Farm and the operation’s racing manager. “We set out a plan when he got injured to get him back and the goal was to get him back with a race late November, early December. Everything’s really gone according to plan since his mishap Derby week.”
Trained by Brad Cox, Tappan Street was nominated to the $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream, a 1 1/16-mile race that serves as a prep for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on January 24. His connections instead chose to bring him back in a one-turn mile, where he is slated to face six rivals aged three and up.
“We expect to see him run well. I never take anything for granted,” Walden said. “Considering how he’s run, and how he’s been breezing, we’re hopeful that he runs well. We’ll see what happens. It’s a solid race without being overwhelming and it’s a good place to start.”
The Tappan Street return follows a steady preparation. He has recorded six breezes at Cox’s winter base at Payson Park since November 1, following two earlier workouts at Keeneland. Walden explained that the colt joined Cox’s stable at Keeneland in early October before being shipped to Florida when Payson Park opened.
“He stayed there for the month of October, breezed a few times and then when Brad opened up his stable at Payson Park he was the first horse on the van so that we could get ready for December,” Walden said. “I feel like coming to Florida, sometimes there’s a little acclimation period, so we wanted to get down there nice and early.”
Gulfstream Park has been a productive venue for Tappan Street in the past. He made his debut there on December 28, winning a seven-furlong maiden special weight by one and three-quarter lengths. He followed that with a second-place finish in the Holy Bull (G2) at 1 1/16 miles, where he made a three-wide move to the lead in the stretch before being passed late by Burnham Square.
His next start produced his biggest result to date, as he captured the Curlin Florida Derby at 1 1/8 miles, defeating favored Sovereignty by one and a quarter lengths.
“We had considered running him at Churchill late in the year there,” Walden said. “But I just felt like it was best that we do it on a track that he’s comfortable with and where he had done so well last year and take one of the variables out of the equation.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. has been named to ride Tappan Street in his return, which comes in Race 7 on an eight-race program at Gulfstream Park.
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