Lochte faces difficult task in GP Turf defense

Lochte stunned the Donn Day crowd last year in the Gulfstream Park Turf (Adam Coglianese Photography) Donn H. (G1) winner Lea (First Samurai) is not the only horse defending a title at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, as Lochte (Medaglia d’Oro) seeks to make it two in a row in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) over nine furlongs. Lochte was a 39-1 outsider when he upset the race last year coming off an entry-level allowance win. His subsequent record has been mixed, but he does enter the race off a narrow win in the Tampa Bay S. (G3) two weeks ago. “I ran him over there just for a prep for this race,” trainer Marcus Vitali said. “It was all based on how he came out of the race. He came out of it phenomenal. I gave him a few days off after he ran, and when he came back off the race his exercise girl told me he’s hair, teeth and eyeballs.

“He’s a horse for course. He loves this track,” Vitali added. “I’m excited.
He came back off the race good and he’s training good.”

More likely to be favored is Mshawish (Medaglia d’Oro), who has won the Ft.
Lauderdale S. (G2) and El Prado S. already during the Championship Meet for
trainer Todd Pletcher. Prior to his re-importation, the five-year-old was a
Group 2 winner in Dubai.

“He’s starting to fulfill the promise that we thought he had,” Pletcher said.
“He’s a very talented horse.”

Another leading contender is Imagining (Giant’s Causeway), who landed the Man
o’ War S. (G1) over 1 3/8 miles last May. The now seven-year-old ended the
year finishing behind champion Main Sequence (Aldebaran) three times, running
that one to a head in the Sword Dancer Invitational (G1) in his best try.

Man o’ War winner Imagining has generally been more successful beyond 1 1/8 miles (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) “He’s doing good. We gave him a little freshener and he’s been doing really, really well,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “We ran really well at Saratoga and just got beat. Maybe he went a little quick the first part of it, but I’m sure there will be some horses in here that will be pretty competitive.” One entrant with much upside is War Correspondent (War Front), who won his U.S. debut by four lengths at Monmouth last summer for trainer Christophe Clement. A neck second in the Autumn S. (Can-G2) over Woodbine’s Polytrack next out, he most recently failed to draw into the Tampa Bay field from the also-eligible list. The field is rounded out by Sunshine Millions Turf winner Manchurian High (The Daddy), Ft. Lauderdale runner-up Grand Tito (Candy Ride), Amen Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), Slumber (Cacique), and Golden Rifle (Ghostzapper).

An overflow field of fillies and mares will line up in the $150,000

Suwannee River S. (G3) over the same nine furlongs on turf. The
evenly-matched field includes two-time Matchmaker S. (G3) winner Starstruck
(Galileo); multiple Group 3 winner Sandiva (Footstepsinthesand), who recently
landed the Tropical Park Oaks; Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf winner Pink
Poppy (Tiznow); Ashland S. (G1) winner Rosalind (Broken Vow); and Dowager S.
heroine White Rose (Tapit).

Bold Thunder (Bold n’ Flashy) and Green Mask (Mizzen Mast), one-two in Tampa
Bay Downs’ Turf Dash on January 10, head the $75,000

Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint at five furlongs. Also among the field of nine
is Jersey Shore S. (G3) winner Prudhoe Bay (Songandaprayer).

The first stakes of the day is the $75,000
Texas
Glitter S., a five-furlong turf dash for three-year-olds. The race features
Sapling S. and Tyro S. winner Souper Colossal (War Front), who met defeat for
the first time when seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in his most
recent start.

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