The race is a newer addition to the Championship Meet. Past winners of this race have included rising young stallions like Liam’s Map (2014) and Stanford (2016), hard-knocking types like Valid (2015) and War Story (2019), and Illinois fan-favorite Sir Anthony (2018).
2021 Harlan's Holiday Horses
The official field for the 2021 Harlan's Holiday including post positions, trainers, and jockeys, will be drawn on December 15. These are the horses who have been nominated for the race, including their trainers:
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Beau Luminarie (Rodolphe Brisset)
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Cowboy Diplomacy (Brendan Walsh)
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Dennis’ Moment (Dale Romans)
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Eye of a Jedi (Steve Budhoo)
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Fearless (Todd Pletcher
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Glory of Florida (Laura Cazares)
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Mighty Heart (Josie Carroll)
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Phat Man (J. Kent Sweezey)
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South Bend (William Mott)
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Twenty Twice (Jack Sisterson)
It is worth noting that Dennis’ Moment will not likely run. He was nominated for the Harlan’s Holiday but just raced in the Mr. Prospector (G3) last weekend instead.
As the race draws closer, the track will release both the post draw and the morning line. However, the morning line is just the track’s best guess as to the odds as they will stand come post time. Your best bet is to sign up for an online sportsbook, which will let you lock in an overlay on a horse who can win the race, and guarantee you the best odds at the moment you bet.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fearless | TBA | +250 | TBA |
| Mighty Heart | TBA | +650 | TBA |
| Beau Luminarie | TBA | +400 | TBA |
| Eye of the Jedi | TBA | +500 | TBA |
| Phat Man | TBA | +900 | TBA |
Betting the Harlan's Holiday Online
Though a trip to Florida for Harlan’s Holiday sounds wonderful this time of year, not all of us can make it there. Fortunately, you can have a fun and profitable time betting the race from your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone! Sign up for an online sportsbook, and you can bring the thrill of the track wherever you go.
It can seem difficult to pick the right one because there are so many options out there. Fortunately, our online betting experts know the options for betting horse racing online. Their trusted betting site reviews, like Bovada, let you know the features of each of the best online racebooks, and allow you to make an educated choice about which site suits your betting style best!
Create your account at one or more of these top online sportsbooks, and you’ll be ready to maximize your profit while betting the Harlan’s Holiday!
Harlan's Holiday Handicapping
Now that you know the best places to bet the race online, let’s take a look at the top contenders in Harlan's Holiday. This is based on the nominations for the race, though the nominations list was short enough to think that most of these horses who were nominated will actually contest the race.
Harlan's Holiday Contenders
Though Mighty Heart has yet to try the surface at Gulfstream yet, there is plenty of reason to think he can shine under the Florida sun. He is effective on dirt or turf, he is well proven at this Grade 3 level, and he has been able to bring his best game to many tracks. Furthermore, speed plays well at Gulfstream, and he has the pace to be forward and the grit to battle when challenged.
Fearless is a lightly-raced five-year-old for Todd Pletcher, who always comes loaded to the Championship meet. He is already a Grade 2 winner over the Gulfstream course, and though that came at one turn, he has a two-turn form as well. With tactical speed and a good race off the bench last month, Fearless should be ready to run his best.
Harlan's Holiday Longshots
Eye of a Jedi is the very model of a hard-knocking Gulfstream Park horse. He races there all year long, and even though the competition is less tough in the summer, he can step forward with a good race even against Championship Meet horses like the ones nominated for this. He is versatile, consistent, and maybe ready for an improved effort third off the layoff, especially with a wet track possible.
With rain likely on Saturday, Beau Luminarie enters calculations. He tends to run well when the track turns up wet, as he did last out in a third-level allowance at Churchill. He is tactically versatile and has hit the exacta in five of his seven starts on the Gulfstream Park dirt. This is enough to mark him as a horse who can find the frame in Harlan’s Holiday.
Harlan’s Holiday Exotic Player
Phat Man is a fixture at this level; despite a disappointing outing at Parx two months ago, he should be better in this. He can run well after a freshening, and also has plenty of form over an off track. Though he does more of his winning over a one-turn trip, he has come on for enough underneath shares at distances like this to make him interesting in deeper exotic wagers.
Harlan's Holiday Best Bets
Here are your best bets for the 2021 Harlan's Holiday!
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$20 Win: Mighty Heart
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$5 Exacta Key: Mighty Heart with Fearless and Eye of a Jedi
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$1 Trifecta Key: Mighty Heart with Fearless, Eye of a Jedi, and Beau Luminarie
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$1 Superfecta Key: Mighty Heart with Fearless, Eye of a Jedi, Beau Luminarie, and Phat Man
