Headache going strong in 2011 as he bagged the Hawthorne Gold Cup with jockey Paco Lopez
The 5-year-old horse, Headache after rejoining Stakes Company comes back with a bang, and surprises at the Hawthorne race course as he downed 9 other runners to win the Grade 2, Hawthorne Gold Cup on 8 October, 2011.
The son of Tapit, out of Pamric by Woodman, Headache had never run before at the Hawthorne, and he had no Grade 1 credentials to show, along with fellow contestants Where’s Sterling and Cease.
The Michael Maker trained gelding won for the third time in his last four starts for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, and has improved incredibly in the 2011 season, thanks to simple maturation.
This season Headache turned in some good performances in his fourth start, where he won the 1 1/16 mile long allowance claimer at Churchill Downs on 21 May, 2011, and immediately after bagged the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows on 25 June, at about 1 1/8 miles.
In the Hawthorne Gold Cup, Headache came out four wide to compete with the front running duo of Where’s Sterling and Cease, as he successfully out finished his opponents to win the Grade 2, $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup.
Headache entered the Hawthorne main event of 1 ¼ miles off a fifth place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap on 6 August, at the Saratoga race course. It was a race that included top Classic contenders Tizway and Flat Out.
The Gold Cup included Giant Oak and Rule, who seemed to be in control entering in to the stretch, but Headache spoiled their day and held off gamely, fending off challenges from Where’s Sterling and Cease to win the 1 ¼ mile race by half a length.
Headache covered the distance in 2 minutes and 4.68 seconds on a track rated fast.
The 5-year-old gelding Headache is a likely runner in the Breeders’ Cup Classic held at Churchill Downs on 5 November, 2011.
Where’s Sterling and Cease captured the second and third places respectively, while Mister Marti Gras, Giant Oak, MariStar, Rule, Moe Man, Worldly and Cherokee Lord were the order of finish.
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