At Keeneland on Monday, Santa Anita Oaks (G1) third HOOH WHY (Cloud Hopping)
traveled a half-mile in :49 3/5 on the Polytrack in advance of Saturday’s
Ashland S. (G1). With jockey Miguel Mena aboard, the chestnut galloped out
five furlongs in 1:02.
Hooh Why arrived at Keeneland on Thursday night after spending the past two
months at Santa Anita in the care of trainer Carla Gaines. Donna Dupuy, who was
the trainer of record when Hooh Why broke her maiden at first asking last July
at Arlington Park, will saddle Hooh Why at Keeneland.
In each of her starts at Santa Anita, Hooh Why just missed by a head,
finishing second in the Sunshine Millions Oaks and third to champion STARDOM
BOUND (Tapit) in the Santa Anita Oaks.
“I’d like a rematch with Stardom Bound; that’s why we are here,” co-owner
Mark Hoffman said. “If she beats me, she beats me. But this is the first time
Stardom Bound has had to travel and my filly loves to ship. It is like after she
runs one race, it’s ‘Where do we go next?’ She is a fighter; she doesn’t give
up.”
After breaking her maiden at Arlington Park, Hooh Why raced at Presque Isle
Downs and Woodbine. In her final race at Woodbine, Hooh Why finished second in
the Display S., beaten a head by the colt Patena (Seeking the Gold), who figures
to be one of the main contenders in the April 11 Blue Grass (G1).
“We were already up there (at Woodbine), and she had had trouble in the filly
stake (when third in the Glorious Song S.),” Hoffman said. “She was doing so
good after that race and I was looking to stretch her out because her brother
(Rumbling Cloud) had won at a mile and a sixteenth, so we decided to take a
shot. The field did not look that strong and there was no speed in the race so
we put her on the lead and she almost stole it.”
In addition to Stardom Bound and Hooh Why, the other two fillies that were in
the four-horse photo in the Santa Anita Oaks — runner-up THIRD DAWN (Sky Mesa)
and fourth-placer NAN (High Yield) — are scheduled to arrive at Keeneland from
California on Tuesday.
Hoffman had a choice of the Ashland or the Providencia S. (G2) on the turf at
Santa Anita this Saturday for Hooh Why.
“She has trained great on the grass and I am probably going to nominate her
to the grass stake here (the Appalachian S. [G3] at Keeneland on April 16),”
Hoffman said. “I’m going to enter (for the Ashland), but if the race looks like
it is coming up too tough, I could go in the grass race.”
Stardom Bound, who worked six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 on Sunday morning at
Keeneland, came out of the work fine and walked the shedrow Monday morning,
according to Ruben Loza, assistant to trainer Bobby Frankel. Stardom Bound is
stabled in Frankel’s barn for trainer Rick Dutrow.
Also eyeing a rematch with Stardom Bound is DREAM EMPRESS (Bernstein), who
finished second to the champion in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). An
impressive winner of the Alcibiades S. (G1) at Keeneland last fall, the Kenny
McPeek trainee is coming off a lackluster seventh in the grassy
Herecomesthebride S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The unbeaten WHAT A PEAR (E Dubai), last seen romping by 10 1/4 lengths in
the Busher S. at Aqueduct, is set to try synthetic for the first time in the
Ashland. The Joe Parker pupil is due in on Tuesday.
Rounding out the Ashland candidates are BE FAIR (Exchange Rate), fourth after
a slow start in the Honeybee S. (G3) at Oaklawn, and Grade 2-placed BOLEYN
(Proud Citizen).