Brian Lynch Will Try To Spoil Mike Maker's Mac Diarmida Party With Anglophile

Brian Lynch will saddle Michael Thomas Paradis’ Anglophile for a start in Saturday’s $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) presented by Corniche at Gulfstream Park with the distinction of being the only trainer not named Michael Maker to win the 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for older horses during the past five years.

The 28^th running of the Mac Diarmida is one of nine stakes worth $1.85 million and the first of eight consecutive stakes featured on a 14-race program that will be headlined by the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2), the final prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 30.

Lynch saddled Phantom Currency for a victory in the 2021 Mac Diarmida. Maker had saddled Zulu Alpha for back-to-back scores in 2019 and 2020 and went on to score with Temple in 2022 and Value Engineering in 2023.

Anglophile is coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Jan. 27 William F. McKnight (G3), in which he raced wide from the start of the 1 ½-mile turf stakes before being bumped and fanned seven-wide on the turn into the homestretch.

“He didn’t have the cleanest trip. He got bumped around a little bit when the running started and that probably was enough to discourage him a bit,” Lynch said. “We’ve changed up a few things up. He had a sharp breeze going into his last race. That probably took a little sting out of him too. We gave him an easy piece of work this week. Hopefully, that will help him, because he seems in good order.”

Anglophile, who ran out of ground while rallying for a close-up fourth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Park Derby Dec. 23, has proven to be at his best covering long distances on turf. The 4-year-old son of English Channel captured the 1 5 /16-mile Dueling Grounds Derby (G3), in which he raced mid-pack before kicking in through the stretch, at Kentucky Downs in the fall.

“I think he’s got some tactical speed. It helps if he gets a little pace to run at. I think there is a little bit of speed in there,” Lynch said.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the return mount aboard Anglophile, who has the opportunity to add a Grade 2 win to his trainer’s extremely productive Championship Meet. Lynch has saddled 18 winners from 61 starters for a 30-percent strike rate.

“It’s a big meet. It’s always nice to start the year off on a good note. We’ve won some nice races and it’s nice to get some momentum going, because there’s a lot of spring and summer racing coming up,” said Lynch, who had expected to enter F Five in the Mac Diarmida prior to a minor setback sustained by the H. Allen Jerkens Handicap winner. “It’s good for morale around the barn. We’re just trying to finish off as well as we started.”

In addition to winning back-to-back runnings of the Mac Diarmida, Zulu Alpha also won the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) in 2020.

“Our training style complements marathon turf races. That said, a majority of these horses have been claimers. Horses that their pedigrees suggest they should do it, but maybe didn’t have the opportunity or the right training to do it,” Maker’s longtime assistant Nolan Ramsey said. “I’d like to say it’s rocket science, but we do well picking out horses that suggest they can do it and give them the opportunity to do it.”

Starting Over is coming off a late-closing second in the Jan. 27 William F. McKnight (G3). The 7-year-old Liam’s Map gelding captured the 1 ½-mile Colonial (Downs) Cup last fall.

Dynadrive, who finished second in the Colonial Cup behind Starting Over, enters the Mac Diarmida off a 3 ¾-length triumph in the 1 ½-mile John B. Connally Stakes (G3) over a yielding Sam Houston turf Jan. 27. Catch That Party finished sixth in the Connally.

Edgard Zayas is scheduled to ride Starting Over for the first time Saturday. Luis Saez has the call on Dynadrive, while Paco Lopez will ride Catch That Party.

Harrell Ventures LLC’s Main Event and AMO Racing USA’s Kingmax enter the Mac Diarmida off disappointing efforts in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Jan. 27 at Gulfstream, where they had previously finished 1-2, respectively, in the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 30.

George Weaver-trained Main Event set all the pace to edge Kingmax by a head in the Fort Lauderdale. The 5-year-old son of Bernardini experienced early bumping before setting a rapid pace and fading to 11^th in the Pegasus Turf.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call on Main Event.

Jorge Delgado-trained Kingmax, who was bumped and raced wide in the Fort Lauderdale, was fanned eight-wide entering the stretch before finishing seventh in the Pegasus Turf.

David Egan has the mount on the 5-year-old son of Kingman.

Six Minus is also a horse that has demonstrated his best form going a distance of ground on turf. Owned by Mike Repole, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and Jake Pletcher, the son of English Channel closed steadily to finish third in the Dec. 24 Allen Jerkens Handicap at two miles on turf.

“That’s what it’s all about for him (distance). He was still closing at the end of the Allen Jerkens, so distance is never an issue,” Todd Pletcher said. “We tried him on the synthetic last time when he didn’t get in the McKnight, and he just didn’t take to it that day, even though he had run OK on it before. We look forward to getting him back on the turf.”

The 6-year-old gelding, who finished off-the-board in a Jan. 28 starter Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta, captured a 1 ½-mile allowance on turf last season at Gulfstream.

Pletcher is also represented tin the Mac Diarmida field by Calumet Farm’s Calycanthus, who is coming off a victory in an off-the-turf optional claiming allowance at a mile and 70 yards on Tapeta.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call on Six Minus, while Julien Leparoux is scheduled to ride Calycanthus for the first time Saturday.

Peachtree Stables’ Tawny Port, who won the 2022 Lexington (G2) at Keeneland before finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby (G1), is scheduled to continue his successful transition to turf in the Mac Diarmida. The Christophe Clement-trained 5-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile, who will make his 2024 debut Saturday, captured the 1 5/8-mile John’s Call on turf at Saratoga last season.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount.

Joseph Allen LLC’s Headline News is set to make his stakes debut in the Mac Diarmida. The late-developing 5-year-old son of Curlin broke his maiden at a mile on turf at Laurel last fall before coming right back to win a mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Dec. 9. In his most recent start in a Jan. 27 optional claiming allowance at a mile, Jimmy Toner-trained Headline News rallied to finish third, beaten by less than a length for first money.

Jorge Ruiz has the return call on Headline News.