Ivan Fullunovalot, Gentlemen's Bet top Count Fleet Sprint

Last updated: 4/7/15 3:18 PM

Despite a recent setback, Ivan Fallunovalot appears the one to catch in the Count Fleet Sprint

(Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography)

Run down in the final furlong of the $100,000 Hot Springs on March 7, Ivan
Fallunovalot (Valid Expectations) will attempt to do a better job of staving off
the late charge of Gentlemen’s Bet (Half Ours) in the $300,000
Count Fleet
Sprint H. (G3) at Oaklawn Park on Thursday.

An 8 3/4-length allowance winner and 2 3/4-length conqueror of the $100,000
King Cotton earlier in the meet, Ivan Fallunovalot was made the 3-5 favorite to
add the Hot Springs, but wilted late under pressure from Gentlemen’s Bet, who
was making his second start back from a lengthy year-plus absence.

The Hot Springs was the first win for Gentlemen’s Bet since his deposing of
crack sprinter Delaunay (Smoke Glacken) in the Iowa Sprint H. in June 2013. The
six-year-old finished third in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) and Breeders’
Cup Sprint (G1) later that season, but was out of action throughout 2014. He was
a narrowly beaten third in his February 14 allowance comeback.

Also lining up for the six-furlong Count Fleet Sprint is Speechify (Harlan’s
Holiday), who took the Mr. Prospector (G3) at Gulfstream Park in late December
and was most recently third in the Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) February 21.

Last year’s Count Fleet Sprint runner-up Alsvid (Officer) recently won for
the first time in eight attempts at Oaklawn, having run second over the track on
six occasions. That allowance prep win came at the expense of returning rival
Unbridled’s Note (Unbridled’s Song), formerly a top turf sprinter in California.

The seven-year-old Picko’s Pride (Cactus Ridge), a close second in the 2013
Count Fleet Sprint and fourth last year, makes his return to the races following
a six-month layoff. The field is rounded out by Double Ours (Half Ours) and Best
of Birdstone (Birdstone).

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