Wicked Strong (Hard Spun), last season’s Wood Memorial (G1) and Jim Dandy
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Wicked Strong turned in other solid performances at
The pair were reunited on March 7 for the one-mile Gulfstream Park H. (G2).
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The first four across the wire in the $98,000 Stymie on March 22 — Turco
Bravo (Caesarion), Cousin Stephen (Proud Citizen), North Slope (Elusive Quality)
and Micromanage (Medaglia d’Oro) — renew acquaintance in the Excelsior. Also
lining up are Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) winner Red Rifle (Giant’s Causeway), fifth
in the New Orleans H. (G2) last time; Stormin Monarcho (Monarchos), recent
winner of the $98,000 Mr. Sinatra; and Empire Classic hero Effinex (Mineshaft),
a recent allowance scorer.
In other graded stakes action on Saturday:
Santa Anita
Quick Casablanca (Until Sundown) goes for a repeat win in the $100,000
Last
Tycoon (G3) at Santa Anita. The Chilean-bred upset the race by a head at
16-1 last season when it was contested at nine furlongs, but the deep closer
will get extra ground to work with this time as the race has been elongated to 1
1/4 miles.
Following the Last Tycoon, Quick Casablanca placed as the favorite in the
Charles Whittingham Memorial (G2) and San Juan Capistrano (G3), but missed the
second half of the season. He returned on April 4 to finish eighth in the
$82,000 Thunder Road, a one-mile heat undoubtedly too short for him.
Returning from a layoff is Del Mar H. (G2) winner Big John B (Hard Spun), who
subsequently finished third in the John Henry Turf Championship (G2) and ninth
in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) following his Del Mar score in August.
Abbey Vale (Moss Vale) goes for his first stakes win after win two of three
allowance attempts since his importation from Ireland. Also looking for his
first stakes win stateside is Ganesh (Sulamani), a multiple Group 1 winner in
Brazil who also found the Thunder Road too short in his U.S. debut.
Others of note are recent San Luis Rey (G2) third Power Foot (Powerscourt);
the front-running Joes Blazing Aaron (Graeme Hall); and Si Sage (Sageburg), who
is multiple graded-placed on this course.
Gulfstream Park
Grand Tito (Candy Ride) will hope to come out on top for the first time in a
graded stakes at Gulfstream Park this season in the $100,000
Miami Mile
(G3). The five-year-old has earned a piece of the purse in four other graded
turf stakes this season, finishing second in the Ft. Lauderdale (G2) and
Canadian Turf (G3), third in the Appleton (G3), and a close fifth in the
Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1).
His most serious challengers appear to be last-out allowance winners
Middleburg (Lemon Drop Kid), Shatak (Cryptoclearance), and Inchcape (Indian
Charlie), as well as multiple stakes winner Storming Inti (Stormy Atlantic), who
finished fourth in his March 6 comeback following a layoff of more than six
months.
Also at Gulfstream on Saturday, Grade 1 queen Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat)
will be an overwhelming favorite to take the $75,000
Powder
Break over a mile on turf, which marks her first start since her third-place
effort in the Matriarch (G1) at Del Mar in November.
Multiple stakes winner Mr. Jordan (Kantharos), coming off his first career
defeat in the $58,000 Tamarac on March 27, will also be heavily favored to get
back in the win column in the $60,000
Tarpon, a
one-mile test for three-year-olds.
Golden Gate Fields
Runner-up in its past two editions, Summer Hit (Bertrando) will attempt for a
third to capture the $100,000
San Francisco
Mile (G3) over the turf at Golden Gate Fields. The multiple Grade 3 scorer,
trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and ridden by Russell Baze, was recently second in
a six-furlong allowance in his first start since last June.
Pepper Crown (Peppered Cat) is back to defend his San Francisco Mile crown
after denying Summer Hit by three-quarters of a length at odds of 46-1 a year
ago. The five-year-old has been much more active than Summer Hit since last
year’s race, winning or placing in nine of 12 starts. Most recently, he took an
off-the-turf allowance by a neck on April 5.
Are You Kidding Me (Run Away and Hide) debuts for trainer Neil Drysdale after
capturing the Kent (G3) at Delaware Park for Roger Attfield. Other notables in
the lineup are stakes winners G. G. Ryder (Chhaya Dance) and Edge of Reality
(Lawyer Ron).
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