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In his most recent performance he finished first in the Swale Stakes on the Florida Derby card at Gulfstream Park March 28, but was disqualified after interfering with runner-up This Ones for Phil. Either could be credited with breaking the track record, Big Drama getting to the wire in 1:20.88 with This Ones for Phil just a half-length back.
Plans for Big Drama’s Triple Crown campaign required an adjustment after he kicked himself in his stall and suffered a bone bruise. The Swale was his first race in four months, and his first since winning the Delta Jackpot, a $750,000 race at Delta Downs in Louisiana. His running style is to seize the lead early, getting a jump on the competition.
In the Delta Jackpot, his only race outside Florida, he held safe West Side Bernie, tallying by a length.
Prior to that, Big Drama he became the sixth to sweep the male division of Calder’s Florida Stallion series, taking the Dr. Fager Aug. 16, the Affirmed on Sept. 6 and the In Reality Oct. 18. He won his maiden there Aug. 2.
His connections passed on the Kentucky Derby to point for the Preakness.
| Video | Date | Race Name | Distance | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
03/28/2009 | Swale S. (Gulfstream Park) | 7 Furlongs | 2nd |
|
12/05/2008 | Boyd Gaming's Delta Jackpot S. (Delta Downs) | 1 1/16 Miles | 1st |
| 10/18/2008 | Florida Stallion In Reality S. (Calder Race Course) | 1 1/16 Miles | 1st | |
| 09/06/2008 | Florida Stallion Affirmed S.(Calder Race Course) | 7 Furlongs | 1st | |
| 08/16/2008 | Florida Stallion Dr. Fager S.(Calder Race Course) | 6 Furlongs | 1st | |
| 08/02/2008 | Maiden Special Weight (Calder Race Course) | 6 Furlongs | 1st | |
| 07/12/2008 | Maiden Special Weight (Calder Race Course) | 6 1/2 Furlongs | 3rd |
JOHN VELAZQUEZ
Johnny Velazquez, whose only classic victory came with the Pletcher-trained, Michael Tabor-owned filly Rags to Riches in the 2007 Belmont Stakes, has had two mounts, fifth-place finishes aboard Stevil (2008) and Circular Quay (2007).
The son-in-law of top steeplechase rider and current trainer Leo O’Brien, Velazquez left his native Puerto Rico for New York in 1990. Among his milestones, two that occurred in Saratoga stand out: On Sept. 3, 2001, he became the first jockey in that track’s history to ride six winners on a single card, capping the day off with a victory in Diana Handicap on Starine. He also won his 3,000th career race on July 29, 2004 at Saratoga, on “John Velazquez Bobblehead Doll Day.”
His reputation extends well beyond the rails of a racetrack: He has done extensive work with the Make a Wish Foundation while at Gulfstream and is also the president of the Jockeys’ Guild.
HAROLD L. QUEEN
The 73-year-old native of Heaters, W. Va., has been involved as a thoroughbred owner since the mid ‘60s and owns a 170-acre Hal Queen Farm near Lodi, Ohio, with 12 broodmares. He earned his wealth as a real estate owner in Cleveland and as part-owner of Mid-Atlantic Data, a financial-services company in Pittsburgh. A frequent visitor in the Thistledown winners’ circle following stakes races, his best horse prior to Big Drama may be Inside Affair, a stakes winner at Tampa and Laurel.
DAVID FAWKES
HAROLD L. QUEEN
The 73-year-old native of Heaters, W. Va., has been involved as a thoroughbred owner since the mid ‘60s and owns a 170-acre Hal Queen Farm near Lodi, Ohio, with 12 broodmares. He earned his wealth as a real estate owner in Cleveland and as part-owner of Mid-Atlantic Data, a financial-services company in Pittsburgh. A frequent visitor in the Thistledown winners’ circle following stakes races, his best horse prior to Big Drama may be Inside Affair, a stakes winner at Tampa and Laurel.
