It’s fair to say Play Harder makes his connections sweat it out. The three-year-old Maryland-bred colt by Outwork has raced six times, and in five of them, he has won by – or been beaten by – less than a length.

“He’s a young boy. What can I say?” said owner Daniel Eubanks, who races as Rising Sun Racing Stables Inc. “You know, his first race, he pretty much sat in the gate and spotted them 10 lengths and ended up winning that race. He’s a fighter.”

Young boy. Fighter. And now stakes winner.

Play Harder’s frantic late rally fell just a nose short in Saturday’s $75,000 Star de Naskra Stakes at Laurel Park. But after a steward’s inquiry and an objection from Raul Mena, the rider of show horse Quint’s Brew, winner Celtic Contender was disqualified and placed third. That elevated Play Harder to the win, his fifth in six starts.

“I think it was a good call on the stewards. I think they made the right call,” Eubanks said afterwards. “It was a heck of a race: a lot of good horses in there. My horse just came up short, and we were very, very lucky and fortunate to get put up there.”

The critical incident occurred early. Celtic Contender, with Victor Carrasco up, left the gate from the farthest outside post, post number eight but veered inwards “multiple paths,” according to the official chart, bumping Quint’s Brew to his inside and causing crowding with other rivals, including six-horse Blue Kingdom.

After chewing the incident over for several minutes, the stewards made the move to disqualify the winner to third.

Both on paper and as the race developed, there was plenty of early lick, with Haileysfirstnotion, with Jaime Rodriguez up, quickest of all, establishing the front by a head after an opening quarter in 22.95 seconds and pushing his advantage to a length after a half-mile in 45.56.

Quint’s Brew, undefeated in two previous starts and sent off as the 3-5 favorite, was second at both calls under Raul Mena. Rounding the turn Quint’s Brew bid to even terms with the leader, but as he appeared set to gain the upper hand, Celtic Contender moved boldly three wide to seize the advantage.

Celtic Contender went a couple of lengths clear in mid-stretch as Quint’s Brew’s earlier exertions began to take their toll, but before Carrasco could get too comfortable, Play Harder, out in the middle of the track, unleashed his late run under jockey J. G. Torrealba. Four-and-a-quarter lengths back after a half-mile and still 2 ½ in arrears leaving the furlong grounds, Play Harder came running late but just fell short.

Running time for the seven furlongs on a fast main track was 1:23.93. After the disqualification, the official order of finish was Play Harder first, Quint’s Brew, who was nearly nine behind the top pair, second, and Celtic Contender third. 

Play Harder paid $15.00 to win, and the exacta returned $19.20 for a one-dollar wager.

Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Play Harder now has five wins from six starts to go with earnings of $171,895. His margins of victory have been two lengths, a half-length, three quarters of a length, and a neck, and Torrealba has been aboard for all of his starts but the first.

A $25,000 auction purchase as a two-year-old, Play Harder is out of the winning Smarty Jones mare Miss Manatee. Play Harder was bred in Maryland by Maria Haire.

Now, Eubanks said, he has a decision to make. He has entered Play Harder in the July Fasig-Tipton sale of selected horses of racing age in Kentucky and ought to make a tidy profit. On the other hand, stakes-winning three-year-olds don’t grow on trees.

“I’m going to have some really hard thoughts if I’m going to sell him or hang onto him,” Eubanks said. “It’s really nice to have a nice horse, a nice Maryland-bred. To be a second generation horseman and carry on the tradition of my parents, I might want to keep him and win some more stakes with him.”

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