Gio Ponti looking forward to do well in the Shadwell Turf Mile again, after turning in a string workout session at Belmont Park
After getting hammered by the Irish invader, Aidan O’Brien trained, Cape Blanco, Gio Ponti and trainer Christophe Clement would love to forget about the past and start a new chapter, starting with a run in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on 8 October, 2011,
at Keeneland race course.
The 6-year-old horse, Gio Ponti, turned in a workout session of five furlongs over at the Belmont Park’s inner turf course, and he covered the 5 furlong distance in 1 minute and 3.57 seconds on 14 September.
It wasn’t a lone run by the older horse, he was introduced to another runner, Cannon Hill, who worked with Gio Ponti, who started the move a single length behind Cannon Hill.
However, Gio Ponti caught up with him, and finished well after getting his head in front of Cannon Hill.
Winless in four starts this season, but having said that Gio Ponti has come excruciatingly close to winning a race in two occasions, and these two occasions was the horse’s last two starts.
Gio Ponti began the season with an international race, where he ran at Meydan race course in Dubai, and rolled in 5th in a massive field in terms of volume and experience.
It was the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup on synthetic surface of the Meydan race course, run over classic distance of 1 ¼ miles.
Little did Christophe Clement know that his star runner is in for a difficult season, and it got worse when Cape Blanco posted two victories on American soil, out of his two starts, at the expense of Gio Ponti.
The Grade 1 Man O’ War Stakes at Belmont Park on 9 July, 2011, was the first of the two races, where Cape Blanco was too overwhelming for Gio Ponti as he bolted past his American rivals to win the race by a convincing margin, while Gio Ponti rolled in second.
With instant success at Belmont Park against Gio Ponti, Aidan O’Brien seriously considered the Grade 1 $1 million Arlington Million for his runner.
They came back to visit Gio Ponti and inflicted more pain by winning the Arlington Million in Gio Ponti’s back yard.
The upside to all this is that Gio Ponti is defending his title in the Grade 1 Shadwell Stakes as he won the 2010 edition, and he could turn his season around if he goes on to win the race, holding on till the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, which is his ultimate
goal for the season.
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