Stars Align in Louisiana

Starlight Racing’s Intense Holiday (Harlan’s Holiday), a rallying third behind Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream last time Jan. 25, surged late to nail Albano (Istan) by a nose in the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds Saturday. With Mike Smith in town for the ride, the dark bay was settled in mid-pack as Albano led through fractions of :24.30 and :48.14. Intense Holiday began to roll with a sweeping move on the far turn, and needed the length of the stretch to run down the GIII LeComte S. runner-up by a whisker. “Well, in the very beginning, he kind of slipped leaving there, which turned out to be a good thing,” Smith revealed. “It kind of scared him and he got up on the bridle, which I wanted him to be, but he was a bit too keen early. There was a lot of room to improve there and a lot of room to grow. What I really liked at the end was galloping out, after I stopped him, you can tell when a 3-year-old has had enough. He took one breath and came back, so we did not get to the bottom of him.” 

Saturday, Fair Grounds 
RISEN STAR S.-GII, $400,000, FGX, 2-22, 3yo, 
1 1/16m, 1:43 4/5, ft. 
1–#@INTENSE HOLIDAY, 116, c, 3, by Harlan’s Holiday 
     1st Dam: Intensify, by Unbridled’s Song 
     2nd Dam: Her She Shawklit, by Air Forbes Won 
     3rd Dam: Shawklit, by Groshawk 
($380,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP). O-Starlight Racing; 
B-Machmer Hall & Haymarket Farm (KY); T-Todd A 
Pletcher; J-Mike E Smith. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 
7-2-0-1, $351,900. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click 
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 
2–Albano, 116, c, 3, Istan–Pocho’s Dream Girl, by 
Fortunate Prospect. ($37,000 RNA yrl ’12 KEESEP). 
O/B-Brereton C Jones (KY); T-J Larry Jones. 
$80,000. 
3–Vicar’s in Trouble, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–Vibrant, 
by Vicar. ($8,000 yrl ’12 ESLSEP; $80,000 2yo ‘13 
FTMMAY). O-Kenneth L & Sarah K Ramsey; 
B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (LA); T-Michael J Maker. 
$40,000. 
Margins: NO, 5HF, 1HF. Odds: 5.00, 13.60, 2.40. 
Also Ran: Hoppertunity, Gold Hawk, Commanding Curve, Rise Up, Flat Gone, Son of a Preacher, Quick Indian, Vigorish, Emmett Park, Interchange, Xtra Luck. 
Scratched: Bond Holder, Teniente Coronel. 
Click for the brisnet.com chart the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. 

Intense Holiday, a maiden winner at second asking at Monmouth Park Aug. 31, was a well-beaten fifth in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park Oct. 5. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a pair of fourth-place finishes in the GII Nashua S. Nov. 3 and the GII Remsen S. Nov. 30. He rallied from far back to finish within 
6 1/4 lengths of Cairo Prince in the Holy Bull. 

The winner’s dam Intensify, purchased by Machmer Hall for $30,000 while in foal to Forestry at the 2009 KEENOV sale, produced a colt by Lookin At Lucky in 2012 and a colt by Harlan’s Holiday in 2013. Winless in five career starts, she previously brought $650,000 as a KEESEP yearling.