Never one to shy away from a challenge, Tumbarumba is all set to make his mark in Saturday’s Grade 3, $165,000 Harlan’s Holiday at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Brian Lynch is confident about his charge, stating, “He brings it every time, that’s for sure.” Tumbarumba, who has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of eight, comes off a fourth-place finish in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar. Lynch said, “It seems like he’s doing good. We’ve given him a little freshening and pointed him towards this race. We haven’t missed a beat with him, so hopefully, he’ll get a good clean trip and he runs one of his A-game races.”

Career Highlights and Challenges

Tumbarumba has had an impressive career, finishing first or second in 11 of 17 starts. Last season at Gulfstream Park, he engaged in many memorable battles. He won the Fred W. Hooper (G3) by a nose, lost by a nose in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), and came up a neck short in the Ghostzapper (G3). The Hooper and Gulfstream Mile were at a mile around one turn, while the Ghostzapper was 1 1/16 miles around two turns. Lynch believes his horse is now more seasoned and can handle the two-turn distance. Tumbarumba followed up his championship meet form with a pair of runner-up finishes at a mile around one turn in the Hanshin and Ack Ack (G3) at Churchill Downs. He was forwardly placed while racing three wide in the Dirt Mile, where he was bumped in the stretch.

Upcoming Race and Jockey

Tumbarumba will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for the first time. Lynch said, “It looks like a competitive race, but it certainly looks like if he has one of his A-game races, he’s as good as they are.”

Tuscan Sky’s Journey to the Harlan’s Holiday

Tuscan Sky enters the Harlan’s Holiday off an encouraging second-place finish in the Nov. 3 Discovery at Aqueduct. He was involved in a race-long heated pace and fell three-quarters of a length short of victory. The 3-year-old son of Vino Rosso was coming off a three-month layoff after an off-the-board finish in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth. Trainer Todd A. Pletcher said, “It was a good effort last time, just missed. I thought that kind of put him back in form, so we thought this might be a good steppingstone to hopefully get him to the Pegasus.” Tuscan Sky has won three of six career starts, including a victory in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus at Monmouth while prepping for the Haskell. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the call aboard Tuscan Sky, rated second on the morning line at 5-2.

Pre-Race Preparation and Expectations

Tuscan Sky is looking to build on his recent performance and make a strong showing in the Harlan’s Holiday. Pletcher is optimistic about his chances and believes this race could be a stepping stone to bigger things.

The Stable of Saffie Joseph Jr. in the Harlan’s Holiday

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is slated to saddle three starters in the Harlan’s Holiday - Cape Trafalgar (6-1), Digital Ops (10-1), and Super Corinto (15-1). Cape Trafalgar is scheduled to make his stakes debut Saturday following a 6 1/2-furlong optional claiming allowance victory at Keeneland Oct. 19. Joseph said, “It’s an unknown distance. We tried two turns once, but he wasn’t right. He had time off after the race, so obviously he didn’t come out of the race right. It wasn’t a fair assessment, so we want to try him this time. He acts like a horse that will go two turns. It’s unknown, but we feel optimistic that he could. If he does go two turns, he’ll be very hard to beat.” Digital Ops, formerly trained by Chad Brown, is scheduled to make his first start for Joseph in the Harlan’s Holiday and will try stakes company for the first time. The 3-year-old son of Nyquist has won two of five starts, including an impressive front-running victory in a 1 3/16-mile optional claiming allowance Oct. 24 at Aqueduct. Joseph said, “He’s kind of unknown. He ran a good number last time, but the form has worked out poorly. So, he’s an unknown horse.” Joseph also described Super Corinto as a “mystery” since joining his stable before an even fifth-place finish in an optional claiming allowance Nov. 22. He said, “He’s not the best work horse. I thought last time he ran OK. He broke well then kind of lost a little ground and stayed on steadily. It’s not the way his best races in America were, but it was better than the two races before. If he can rate and get himself in a good spot, I think he can surprise.” Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call on Cape Trafalgar. Dylan Davis has the return mount on Digital Ops, and Edgard Zayas returns on Super Corinto.

Steal Sunshine’s Rivalry with Tumbarumba

Steal Sunshine is slated for a rivalry renewal with Tumbarumba on Saturday. The 5-year-old son of Constitution finished third behind victorious Tumbarumba in last season’s Hooper before coming back to edge Saturday’s morning-line favorite by a nose in the Gulfstream Park Mile. He then finished third, three-quarters of a length behind runner-up Tumbarumba, in the Ghostzapper. Leonel Reyes has the mount aboard Steal Sunshine, who is rated third on the morning line at 4-1.

The Field and Post Positions

Rocket Can, who won the 2023 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream, and Vitality, who captured the Prince of Wales at Fort Eries three starts back, round out the field. Here is a breakdown of the post, silks, horse/sire, rating, trainer/jockey, last start/next start, and HRN:1. Tuscan Sky - Vino Rosso - 6.35 - Todd A. Pletcher - John R. Velazquez - 2nd, 2024 Discovery LS - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered2. Tumbarumba - Oscar Performance - 6.64 - Brian A. Lynch - Tyler Gaffalione - 4th, 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile G1 - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered3. Cape Trafalgar - Lord Nelson - 4.45 - Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - Irad Ortiz, Jr. - 1st, KEE AOC (10/19/2024-R6) - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered4. Digital Ops - Nyquist - 0.00 - Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - Dylan Davis - 1st, Aqu AlwOC (10/26/24-R3) - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered5. Vitality - Street Boss - 0.00 - Harold Ladouceur - Joe Bravo - 2nd, CD AOC (11/24/2024-R4) - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered6. Steal Sunshine - Constitution - 6.47 - Bobby S. Dibona - Leonel Reyes - 1st, GP AOC (11/22/2024-R8) - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered7. Rocket Can - Into Mischief - 6.49 - William I. Mott - Junior Alvarado - 9th, 2024 Cherokee Run LS - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered8. Super Corinto - Super Saver - 5.12 - Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. - Edgard J. Zayas - 8th, 2024 New Orleans Classic G2 - 2024 Harlan’s Holiday G3 - Entered