Handicap Diary

HANDICAP DIARY

APRIL 15, 2005

by James Scully

The Oaklawn H. (G2) on April 9 helped kick off the Racing
Festival of the South in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was the lone race of note in
this division over the last two weeks, but the nine-furlong event lost some of its
luster when trainer Bobby Frankel pulled Horse of the Year GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome
Again) from the prospective field. Only five went to the starting gate and GRAND
REWARD (Storm Cat) stole it on the front end, recording slow splits of :24 2/5,
:49 2/5 and 1:13 1/5. He wasn’t under pressure until upper stretch and dug down gamely
to withstand the late rally of SECOND OF JUNE (Louis Quatorze) by a neck.

Out of champion and $3.2 million earner Serena’s Song (Rahy),
Grand Reward became the third stakes winner from the 13-year-old mare,
who is also the dam of Harlington (Unbridled), who was on the Triple Crown until
he was derailed by a minor injury. Grand Reward raced exclusively on turf until
being transferred to D. Wayne Lukas in last fall, and he recorded his first
stakes victory at Oaklawn while earning a solid 104 BRIS Speed rating in the
Oaklawn H.

Second of June continues to make excellent progress for
conditioner Bill Cesare after being sidelined by a serious injury following a
narrow second in last year’s Fountain of Youth S. (G2), improving off a third to
BADGE OF SILVER (Silver Deputy) in the New Orleans H. (G2) to just miss
returning to the winner’s circle here. EDDINGTON (Unbridled) checked in a
disappointing third as the 4-5 favorite after posting a convincing win in the Gulfstream Park
H. (G2) in his previous start. The four-year-old is now 0-for-9 on the dirt
outside of Gulfstream Park.

Ghostzapper will now target the Met Mile (G1) on May 30.

Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) hero FUNNY CIDE (Distorted Humor), who
has not started since a 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), has recorded six
works at Gulfstream for trainer Barclay Tagg in preparation for a possible
return in the April 28 Ben Ali S. (G3) at Keeneland. The five-year-old gelding
has earned more than $3 million.

SOUTHERN IMAGE (Halo’s Image), winner of the Santa Anita H. (G1)
and Pimlico Special (G1) before going to the sidelines last summer, will be
pointed toward a mid-summer return, according to conditioner Michael Machowsky.
ROCK HARD TEN (Kris S.), a convincing winner of this year’s Big Cap and the
present owner of a three-race, stakes winning streak, has recorded two workouts
recently for trainer Richard Mandella after earning a brief vacation. He could
return to the races in July 9 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1).

The May 20 Pimlico Special is the next Grade 1 event on the dirt
for older horses.