The Lumber Guy heads the Malibu Stakes field
Winner of the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont Park in September, The Lumber Guy, followed up on that brilliant performance by turning in a strong finish in the Grade 1 Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita Park when he finished second to winner, Trinniberg.
Now, the Barry K. Schwartz owned 3-year-old colt is heading a field of 10 sophomores for the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes on 26 December, 2012. The Malibu Stakes will be run over a distance of seven furlongs, and will be held on the opening day of Santa Anita Park’s winter meet.
Bred in New York by Stonewall Farm, The Lumber Guy will face off with the likes of Wesley Ward trained colt Politicallycorrect, who is exiting victory in the Damascus Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard, and then there is Bob Baffert’s trainee, Drill, who too is exiting victory in the Grade 3 Laz Barrera Stakes.
The Macho Uno colt trained by Doug O’Neill, Private Zone, is coming off a strong effort in the Grade 3 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes where he finished a strong second.
However, The Lumber Guy is in the best form he has even been. Started his racing career this year, the Grand Slam colt won his maiden at first asking going six furlongs at the Aqueduct Racetrack, and immediately went on to win the Miracle Wood Stakes at seven furlongs.
He was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack, but the longer distance didn’t suit the colt well, and consequently he ended up fifth on the day, but bounced back to win the 1 mile long Grade 2 Jerome Handicap again at the Big A.
Again tried at 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park, and again it was a difficult battle with the distance, as he finished sixth, but by that time trainer Michael Hushion had realized that his colt relishes sprints, and entering him in the Vosburgh worked perfectly.
For the Malibu Stakes, The Lumber Guy will break from post number 4 under jockey John Velazquez as the 123 pound highweight.
Tags: