Hogy swiftly defeated competition in the Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park on 24th March, 2012
Hogy made a great comeback in the $50,000 Hansel Stakes, which took place at Turfway Park on 24th March, 2012. He returned after a layoff of six months, and bagged a victory with his return.
The son of Offlee Wild, out of mare Floy, last competed in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington Park on 10th September, 2011.
Trained by Joel Berndt for Alice Mettler, the three-year-old gelding pleased his connections with this performance. He raced under jokey Tanner Riggs, and swiftly swept past She’s Ready Made at the quarter pole. The run from that point onwards was unchallenged,
as he was not threatened by anyone further on the track.
Berndt work-outs and hard work materialised on the race-track, as the gelding raced with a newfound motivation and fervour. He was in much better form and exhibited flawless skill as he began this race.
Hogy entered the race with the odds of 5 to 1, as the third choice, but successfully defeated Magical Season by 6 ¾ lengths in 1 minute and 10.33 seconds over a distance of 6 furlongs, leaving, Thomas Jefferson, to finish third. Lockout who entered as a
favourite with the odds of 9 to 5 disappointed his connections as he secured a finish in fourth place.
Riggs, the winning jockey stated that : "(Hogy) was a little nervous in the post parade but it worked out real good," he further added that "A few horses up front went a little bit (for the lead). I just tapped him on the shoulder early to keep his mind
on running. At about the two-and-a-half (furlong) marker, he just started making his move."
Berndt was pleased with his runner’s performance as he stated that “This horse just loves the Poly,” referring to the polytrack, he further explained that “We’ll take him back to Hawthorne and maybe look at something at Keeneland next.”
With a performance of this calibre, he is expected to perform brilliantly in the upcoming races, further gaining experience and polishing his talent.
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