The 11th February meet at the Gulfstream Park has put some new names in the limelight
On Saturday, 11th February, Gulfstream Park hosted some of the most significant races that mark the beginning of the American horse racing season. The race card included the Grade 2, $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes, raced over seven furlongs, the Grade
1, $500,000 Donn Handicap which was staged over 1 1/8 miles. Another prominent event on the card was the Grade 3, $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes that were raced over 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The most lucrative race in terms of the purse and most refined in regard to the grade, was the Donn Handicap was won by C. McGaughey trained Hymn Book. After qualifying as the runner up in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on 26th November, Hymn Book gave
the clear indications that he was up for big races and the Donn victory is evidence enough.
The fact that the six-year-old gelding was against two Triple Crown contenders, the Preakness Stakes’ winner Shackleford and Ruler on Ice who had won the Belmont Stakes, reflects the intensity of the competition he was put through. If this was not challenging
enough, then Hymn Book was also confronted by Trickmeister, who was unbeaten before the race.
It was after 1992 that the Donn Handicap had a lineup that was as versatile as this one.
“It worked out perfect," Velazquez said. "I wanted to come out running and go onto the first turn and try to get some kind of position and not be too far back. He broke well enough to save some ground into the first turn and I was able to kind of give up
a little bit at the quarter pole. When I pulled him out he came running. He put up a good fight down the stretch.”
Hymn Book posted his debut victory for the new season through the start.
While racing his second start of the year in the Grade 2 $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes, Thunder Moccasin was lucky that the most feared rival in the race, Ever So Lucky, was scratched due to the wet track. The odds for Ever So Lucky worked in the favour of Thunder
Moccasin who took the race easy and went through the distance comfortably once his foe was out of the way.
Realistically, the lineup was not really the most threatening one but the way Thunder Moccasin pulled out of the race was pretty impressive. He was quick to get the pace setter of the race, Il Villano, out of the way.
The ninth race on the card, the Grade 3, $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes were won by the five-year-old mare, Snow Top Mountain who took a minute and :52.86 seconds to race through the 1 1/8 miles track. She had participated in graded races before but this
was the first instant that she had claimed one.
"She’s versatile, so there are plenty of options out there for her and Keertana, and we have Marketing Mix for the same kind of races as well,” said Proctor.
For each of the winners, Hymn Book, Thunder Moccasin and Snow Top Mountain, their accomplishment on 11th February was a little more than just a victory whether in terms of distance, grade or the competition level that the race offered. For Snow
Top Mountain it was the first experience of winning a graded race and for the other two, the race translated into debut victories for the new season.
Thunder Moccasin under training Todd Pletcher, is being pointed for the Grade 2 Swale Stakes on 10th March at Gulfstream Park which is raced over seven furlongs while Hymn Book would be seen in the Grade 1 Oaklawn Handicap on 14th April
at Oaklawn Park Race Track, raced over one and a half mile.
For Snow Top Mountain, the connections have thought for the Grade 3 Very One Stakes on 25th February raced over 1 3/8 miles with their second thoughts are stuck on the Honey Stakes on 18th March which will be raced over a mile, owing
to the distance differential.
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