Runnin Horse Farm’s HOTSTUFANTHENSOME (Awesome Again) was on fire through the
stretch of Saturday’s $100,000
Mac Diarmida H. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, closing
from well off a torrid early pace and sweeping to the front at the eighth pole
en route to a one-length score. Now trained by Nathan Sinclair, the six-year-old
gelding completed the 1 3/8-mile affair on firm turf in a course record time of
2:10 4/5 under Rajiv Maragh.
Assisting in the record-setting were the early duelists Rumor Has It (Awesome
Again) and Ramazutti (Honor Grades). After the initial quarter in :24, the pair
tore off by themselves as though it were a match race, sprinting the half in :46
4/5 while opening up eight lengths on the rest of the field. Passing
three-quarters in 1:11 1/5, the pair was still five lengths ahead. By the time
they reached the far turn, however, they were through. Request for Parole (Judge
T C) was the first to accost them and put his head in front at the mile marker
in 1:35 1/5.
Hotstufanthensome, who had been sensibly positioned in 10th through the first
six furlongs, was getting into high gear. While a few of his rivals were being
caught in a traffic jam on the turn as the exhausted trailblazers packed it in,
he had clear sailing going four wide. Hotstufanthensome rolled past a tiring
Request for Parole and had plenty left to stave off a challenge from Honor in
War (Lord At War [Arg]). Go Deputy (Deputy Minister) had a difficult trip as one
of those steadied in traffic on the far turn, but once able to get room, he
closed furiously along the inside to grab second by a half-length from Honor in
War.
“I had the best trip I could expect,” Maragh said. “Today we were in there
against some very good horses, but they ran very fast the first part of it, but
my horse got a clean trip and that’s why he won.”
Sinclair is the assistant trainer for Norman Pointer, the gelding’s original
conditioner whose health problems led him to turn the horse over to Sinclair.
“Norman made it real easy,” Sinclair said. “He had this horse very happy.”
Request for Parole checked in fourth. The 5-2 favorite Silverfoot (With
Approval) finished a non-threatening fifth, followed by Everything to Gain (Sky
Classic); We Can Seek (Chi) (Seeker’s Reward), who had to steady on the
backstretch; Rousing Victory (Victory Gallop); Wood Be Willing (Pulpit);
Ramazutti; Lune d’Or (Fr) (Green Tune), who lost position after checking on the
turn; and Rumor Has It, who was eased. The also-eligibles, Ready for Roses (More
Than Ready) and Indiantown Jones (Green Dancer), did not draw into the field.
Ignored at 18-1, Hotstufanthensome yielded dividends of $38.60, $18.40 and
$10. Go Deputy, third choice at nearly 6-1, paid $8.20 and $5.60. The 7-1 Honor
in War returned $6. The $1 exotics were worth $132.50 (exacta), $635.70
(trifecta) and $10,543 (8-7-6-10 superfecta), rounded out by the more than 10-1
Request for Parole.
Hotstufanthensome’s scoreline stands at 24-9-4-1 with $417,220 in the bank.
He had previously captured the Cliff Hanger S. (G3) and Elkwood S., along with
runner-up finishes in the Oceanport S. (G3) and Fort Lauderdale S. — his outing
prior to the Mac Diarmida.
Bred by Live Oak Stud in Kentucky, Hotstufanthensome is out of Don’t Read My
Lips (Turkoman), a multiple stakes winner who was third in the 1995 Gamely H.
(G1). She has also produced the multiple stakes-placed Silver Charades
(Broad Brush). Her youngest foals are a juvenile filly named Golden Lips (Silver
Ghost) and a yearling colt by Eltish. Her dam, the unraced Our Dear Sue
(Roberto), is a full sister to 1988 champion turf horse Sunshine Forever. This
is the black-type rich family founded by Golden Trail (Hasty Road), whose
leading members include top stallion Dynaformer, multiple Grade 1 winner and
successful Japanese sire Brian’s Time, 1997 champion turf mare Ryafan (Lear Fan)
and multiple Grade 1 heroine Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk).