Algorithms Impresses, Points to Holy Bull

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Starlight Racing’s 2-year-old colt Algorithms   ran his record to two-for-two with an impressive victory at Gulfstream Park Dec. 16 (VIDEO).

Algorithms, trained by Todd Pletcher, defeated 4-5 favorite Consortium in the allowance test with a “non-winners of a race other than” condition. The two colts by Bernardini   had broken their maidens in their career debuts in New York earlier this year.

Jockey Javier Castellano, aboard Algorithms, sat confidently in a stalking position third on the outside on the backstretch of the 6 1/2-furlong race as Korina Stable’s Seven Kind set the pace from the inside in the field of six. Consortium, owned by Darley Stable and ridden by John Velazquez, raced between them in second.

Algorithms, a $175,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, wore down Consortium in deep stretch for the victory and paid $4.20 to win. He was timed in 1:15:51 on a fast track. Seven Kind finished third.

Algorithms won his debut June 3 at Belmont Park by 5 1/4 lengths.

“It was a big effort in his first start since June,” Pletcher said. “We’ve always had high hopes for him and expected him to run well, but we knew he was running against another nice colt that had shown promise. He came out of the maiden race with a minor hock issue. He didn’t need surgery, just time.

“We’ll see how he comes out of this, but timing-wise, the Holy Bull Stakes (Jan. 29) makes the most sense with the gradual stretch-out (to one mile). With his pedigree we’re thinking big things for him.”

The Holy Bull at Gulfstream is raced around one turn.