BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Centennial Farms’ promising 3-year-old Florida-bred colt Nearly may have punched his ticket to the $250,000 Holy Bull (Grade 3) on Jan. 31, putting away favored Confessional in mid-stretch and pulling clear to a five-length victory in Friday’s featured eighth race at Gulfstream Park. Four 3-year-olds when seven furlongs in the first condition, $75,000 optional claiming.
A $350,000 son of Not This Time, Nearly covered the distance over a fast main track under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in 1:22.88 to register his second straight victory at Gulfstream following a dominant nine-and-a-quarter-length triumph over fellow Florida-breds sprinting six furlongs Nov. 22. He was sixth in his six-and-a-half-furlong debut against special weight maidens during the Belmont at Big A meet on Oct. 26.
Nealy paid $4.60 to win.
Standing side-by-side with Confessional in the starting gate, Nearly overcame a bump at the break with that rival to settle in the clear four wide in fourth as Blame Yasself led through a quarter-mile in :22.82 pressed to his outside by Confessional. Nearly moved up alongside Confessional after a half in :46.59 and they straightened for home together, briefly engaging before Nearly edged away.
“Kind of a messy start but he was able to kind of settle after that and get in a good rhythm, made a good run and finished up well,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s always trained [well].
“We were shocked he didn’t run better in his debut than he did. He just reacted very negatively to the kickback. I’m glad to have him regroup and show what he’s capable of,” Pletcher added. “It seems like he’s a little more professional each start. I liked the way he finished and we look forward to stretching him out.”
Following Confessional under the wire were Timeless Victory and Blame Yasself. Mob, the 9-5 program favorite that won his lone start Nov. 23; Vost, third in the Sept. 13 Iroquois (G3), and maiden winners Into the Beast and Prost were scratched.
Nearly could return to Gulfstream in the mile-and-one-sixteenth Holy Bull, the second of three local prep races on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) to be run March 28. The third Florida Derby prep is the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2), also at a mile-and-a-sixteenth, on Feb. 28.
“We know there’s options almost every weekend all spring, so we’ll talk to the Centennial guys and come up with a plan. He’s 2-for-2 here at Gulfstream so you have to think about the Holy Bull,” Pletcher said. “If he needs a little more time, there’s other options as well.”
Nearly is out of IB Prospecting, by Mineshaft and was bred in Florida by Wind Hill Farm. Centennial Farms purchased him for $350,000 as a yearling at the 2024 Keeneland September Sale where he was consigned by Denali Stud. Nearly is the lone winner from two starters for IB Prospecting, a half-sister to stakes-winning, multiple stakes-producer Frolic’s Revenge and stakes-producer Fashionable Frolic.
