Mike Harrington carefully planning Empire Way’s 2012 season
Trainer Mike Harrington is pretty sure on what he wants to do with his 2-year-old colt Empire Way when he turns 3 next year and becomes eligible to run in all the classic races to be run in that division, but it is not an overnight process, a trainer has
to prepare his horse for the big events and see how farther his runner can push his limits.
For the time being, Empire Way is 6 months away from his ultimate goal, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby which is run over a distance of 10 furlongs. The distance Empire way is going to try in his next start which is the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue, and it is run
at seven furlongs.
Although, it is an ideal distance for Empire Way to get out of the way before he is stretched to longer distances, and after his debut at six and a half furlongs it is definitely and improvement in terms of distance.
“I’m figuring three preps,” Harrington said. His fourth start of 2012 would be the Kentucky Derby.
The 2011 edition of the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue will be held on Hollywood Park on 24 November, 2011, over its synthetic surface strictly for 2-year-old males.
On the other hand, Creative Cause whose career’s been on the upward curve ever since he broke his maiden finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile which helped him stamp his ticket to the classics next year.
The rampant colt will debut his 3-year-old career in the Grade 2, seven furlong long San Vincente Stakes on 19 February, 2011.
Meanwhile, Empire Way is pretty much content with one race at a time to see from the outcome how things will shape up for the future, and after the Hollywood Prevue he is pointed toward the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity which will be run over a distance of 1
1/16 miles.
“I don’t think the race took too much out of him,” Harrington said. “I think he needs another race before I run him a mile and a sixteenth.”
Hopefully Empire Way will meet the Breeders Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Secret Circle in the CashCall Futurity.
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