Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

Presious Passion is a four-legged, windup gelding that just won’t stop. And the seven-year-old son of Royal Anthem proved that again Sunday at Gulfstream Park when he repeated in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes by going wire to wire in the mile-and-three-eighths race over the Hallandale Beach turf course.

Jockey Elvis Trujillo and Presious Passion were up to the lead right out of the gate and were four lengths ahead of Gabriel’s Hill as the quarter went in 23.72. Presious Passion increased his margin to seven lengths at the half-mile mark in 47.46, which is little more than a walk in the park for him.

Trujillo gave his charge a breather up the backstretch and the pair crossed the six-furlong mark in 1:13.61, little more than a crawl for the big guy. Gabriel’s Hill still was sitting in second with Winchester in third and Bearpath in fourth as the mile went in 1:37.61.

The field, led by Winchester, started to close in on Presious Passion as they neared the top of the stretch. But with the soft early fractions, the leader still had plenty in the tank and would let no one closer than a length and a quarter as he hit the wire in 2:13.49. Winchester finished two lengths in front of Feels All Right and Bearpath was another two back in fourth.

“Everything went very nice today. The horse broke sharp and was very relaxed, and that was very good for the horse. Every time he goes right to the lead, and you just hope things go easy. Then at the three-eighths, you put him in the bit, and he just goes on. (The turf) was perfect today. There were no problems (with the turf condition),” Trujillo said.

Trainer Mary Hartmann was using the Mac Diarmida as a prep for a race in Dubai. Presious Passion will run in the $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic going 12 furlongs on turf on Saturday, Mar. 27 at the new Meydan Race Course. The plane carrying the South Florida-based contingent for races on the Dubai World Cup program is scheduled to leave on March 16.

 “We were concerned earlier in the day that the course might be less than firm, but after discussing it with Mr. Generazio (owner) we decided to go ahead and run, and that it would be better looking ahead to Dubai to have a race than not, although we planned to go anyhow and train him up to that race if necessary. He only had the one workout since his last race, but as they get older they don’t need to do as much. It’s become his pattern. We’re ready to go now if everything goes all right,” Hartmann said.

Presious Passion came into the Mac Diarmida off an uncharacteristic fifth-place finish in the W. L. McKnight on Dec. 26 at Calder Race Course in South Florida. Previously, he was second to Conduit in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita Park in Southern California.

 The bettors didn’t make much money in the race as the winner paid $5.20, $3.20 and $2.60. The exacta, which included Winchester, paid $6.90. The trifecta, with Feels All Right, paid $24.80.