He Hate Me will seek to break out of a six-race losing streak when he races against favored Network Effect and six others in the $100,000 Big Drama Stakes May 2 at Gulfstream Park.

The son of Algorithms  owned by Sagamore Farm is a stakes winner who has demonstrated remarkable consistency. He has finished in the money in 13 of 16 starts, but the 5-year-old gelding last visited a winner’s circle in late July at Saratoga Race Course. His skid began three weeks later at Saratoga with a close-up second in the Tale of the Cat Stakes, followed by a third-place finish in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G3) at Laurel Park in September. He went on to finish third in the Sunshine Millions Sprint Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West, fourth in the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream, and second in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Most recently, he finished third in the seven-furlong Sir Shackleton Stakes on the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) undercard at Gulfstream.

“He’s doing fine. He’s a pretty steady horse. He kind of gives you what he can,” trainer Stanley Hough said. “This is a Florida-bred race, which I’m not sure if that will make any difference. Going seven-eighths, he kind of hung a little bit on us last time, but he was in good position and he ran a good race.”

He Hate Me launched his career in 2017 with a debut victory at Pimlico Race Course and then won the Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park before going to the sidelines for six months.

“He’s one of those horses that just gives you what he’s got most times. He had a knee operation when he was younger. He won his first couple races and looked like he could be anything, and then, unfortunately, he had a chip in his knee and then later he had to have it re-operated on,” Hough said. “Now he’s fine with that, and as he gets older, he takes pretty good care of himself. I’m sure he’ll run OK; it’s just a question if somebody else runs a little better.”

Luis Saez has the mount on He Hate Me. Saez scored aboard him in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream in March 2019.

Equine Authority’s Red Crescent returns from a 3 1/2-month layoff and cuts back to seven furlongs for the first time since winning an allowance optional claimer by 6 1/2 lengths last fall at Gulfstream Park West.

“He’s fresh—that’s why I’m running him back at seven-eighths. Let’s see if he can repeat it,” trainer John Vinson said. “He’s working well.”

Red Crescent followed his seven-furlong victory with a score in the 1 1/16-mile Sunshine Millions Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West. The 6-year-old Overdriven gelding went on to finish fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream before coming up a head short of victory while finishing second in the 1 1/8-mile Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes locally.

A problem with a glue-on shoe compromised his training for the Sunshine Millions Classic.

“It was up in the air to the last minute whether we were going to run,” Vinson said. “He missed a little bit of training, but he still ran big.”

Nik Juarez has the mount.

Harold Queen’s Noble Drama, who defeated Red Crescent in the Sunshine Millions Classic, will attempt to make amends Saturday for a subsequent subpar performance in the March 7 Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. 

The 5-year-old gelded son of Gone Astray is out of stakes winner Queen Drama, a half sister to Big Drama, the race namesake who won the 2010 Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on his way to an Eclipse Award winner as champion sprinter.

David Fawkes, who campaigned Big Drama for Queen, trains Noble Drama and has named Paco Lopez to ride the multiple stakes winner.

Klaravich Stables’ Network Effect, a multiple graded-placed son of Mark Valeski , is scheduled to make his first start in a race restricted to Florida-breds. The Chad Brown-trained 4-year-old is coming off a second-place finish in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream, beaten a half-length after clipping heels with an opponent shortly after the start.

Network Effect finished second in both the Nashua Stakes (G3) and Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack after winning his debut at Saratoga in 2018. His 3-year-old campaign was limited to two races, an allowance optional claiming score off an 11-month layoff and an eighth-place finish in the Dec. 7 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct.

Network Effect, who will race at seven furlongs for the first time since breaking his maiden, will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Royal Squeeze, Garter and Tie, Last Judgment, and With Verve round out the field.