Thirteen Go to Post in California
Ladies and gents, we have an interesting field of thirteen sophomores assembled for this year’s running of the Grade III Hudson Hawk, a 8.5 furlong run on the dirt. The weather promises to be fair for the day. The stakes record is a brisk 1:40 4/5, set by Mat the Bat in 2004.
On the inside will be multiple graded winner Lucky’s Capital, running for the Winorplace barn. He has won three graded races this year, including the Grade I I Am Not a Crook at this distance, which he won by a dominant 3+ lengths. He disappointed last time out by finishing tenth in the Grade III Supertoys Raceout Classic, but let’s go ahead and toss that one. More impressive was his win in his previous race, the Grade II Buckeye. Expect him to come from well back. He’s well-rested (hopefully not too well rested) and has a decent jockey up, so his chances of playing a part are excellent.
Ravencraft Castle will break from the two spot for Bluehaze. The prerace cofavorite has been in a bunch of big races this year with mixed results. He finished second in the Flat Land at this distance and won the Federico at nine furlongs earlier this year. Some of his other races are less impressive. This race should suit him well, though – it’s a great distance for him and, while a tough race, isn’t nearly as tough as the biggest races he’s been in. He’ll probably stalk the early pace and make his move around the far turn. Definitely one to watch in this race.
Theatrical’s Catapulted is the second cofavorite, sitting at 6/1 on the morning line. He’s amassed a great overall record, but has hit the board only once in five graded attempts. He’s made his name in long sprints, so this race may be just a little too long for the son of Fantasticat. He’ll benefit from a very good jockey, but I don’t expect this to be his best race. A very nice colt who’s likely to be just a little overmatched this weekend.
Milesius’ In Conclusion has the dubious honor of being the longest shot in the race at 33/1. He’s a perfectly fine colt, but this is a very tough stakes debut for a colt who just defeated his NW1X condition in his tenth start. Nothing against him, but don’t expect this to be his best day.
Pinerivers’ Miases Dragon has proved to be a solid allowance runner, but didn’t do so well in his previous graded effort. He looks like he could be a reliable runner in overnight stakes, but his form right now doesn’t make him look like a graded runner. Another nice horse whose best runs will probably come elsewhere.
Sisi’s Deep Woods, however, is a very intriguing up and comer. This will be his stakes debut, but he has dominated in his last three allowance races, improving each time. He’s earned a shot at the big time, but he still has a lot to prove. Those impressive allowance wins came against small fields and this will be the first time he has really been tested. It’ll be a lot of fun to see what the son of Forestry has under the hood. A 22%-winning jockey will certainly help.
The filly Burgazada is another very interesting newcomer. Hamster’s daughter of Danehill Dancer has only three starts under her belt, but she has won each of them, including an overnight stakes against older mares. On the other hand, those races have all been on the grass, so we really don’t know how she’ll do on the dirt, let alone in a graded race against the boys. Nonetheless, she’s a really interesting horse and looks like one to watch over the long term.
Thebaker2’s Adhesive is a tough son of Cozzene who is coming off a recent win in the Grade III Supertoys Raceout, where he earned a superb 113 speed fig. The bad news is he followed that with a weak run in the World Cup Mile. Toss that one, though, and look at his previous three races and he looks very tough. Watch for him to stay near the pace and be very much in the thick of things late in the race. I think he’ll be competitive and, given his sire, I’d be interested to know how he’d run at much longer distances.
Rockhard10’s Jaffar is a young son of Point Given whose best race was a third in this year’s Derby Trial. He’s coming off a big win in allowance company and has landed an awesome jockey for this weekend. He’s never been off the board in a route, but this is only his second shot at a graded race. He’ll need his best effort to get a piece here, but that superb jockey could end up being just the extra boost he needs.
Next up is Jarid’s Mooseopia, a son of Consolidator. He hasn’t done much routing, but his pedigree earns him another shot at two turns. Of his three graded attempts, his best effort was a competitive fourth two races back. He’s run some nice races, but he has yet to prove he can do well at this distance in this company. He could surprise, but I doubt this race is going to show him at his best.
Pye’s Boc Angelic is taking on his first graded race this weekend. He’s been running beautifully in allowance company, but each time he steps up to an overnight stakes, he falters. If he can’t cut it there, I don’t expect too much of him here. A nice colt, though, who keeps appearing to be almost good enough for stakes fields. It’s worth another shot.
Simsters7’s Last Rights is a speedy colt who is never terribly far back in big races, but he also never quite manages to hit the board. A nice runner, but he hasn’t yet shown that he has what it takes to score in a graded race. Maybe he needs to stretch out a bit or mature a bit more, but I don’t expect this to be his week.
Western Glory runs for the Sksutton stable and will be breaking from the outside in this race. He’s run a ton of awesome races in overnight stakes….interrupted only by a lackluster run in a Grade II. It’s perfectly reasonable to give him another shot in graded company, but I wouldn’t back him until he demonstrates whether that poor performance was a fluke or a sign of how he’ll handle a tougher field. Nice colt who’s earned his ticket here.
Good luck, everyone!