Utopian nabs the Inglewood Handicap by a head at Hollywood Park
The Grade 3, $98,000 Inglewood Handicap was set to start with a field of 5, but the unexpected scratch of the champion older male of 2011, Acclamation, the field was reduced to four, and without Acclamation the Inglewood Handicap became anyone’s race.
The 5-year-old Jerome S. Moss owned, Utopian, came out as the victor in the Inglewood Handicap, and conjured up a perfect run to win the 1 1/8 mile race on Hollywood Park’s turf course on 27 April, 2012.
Trained by John A. Shirreffs, Utopian under the veteran jockey Mike Smith, who has been saddling the horse for the fourth time in his career, sat a perfect trip, settling him nicely behind the pace setter, Smug.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Smug paved the way for the rest of the field as he assumed the lead right from the word go, and carved modest fractions of 25.75 seconds for the opening quarter mile, 50.23 seconds for the half mile marker and covered six furlongs in 1 minute and 14.26 seconds.
The 7-year-old gelded son of Street Cry, Holladay Road even with Acclamation in the race, was expected to win the race, but without Acclamation, Gary S. Broad owned gelding started off behind the pace, and worked behind Utopian along with Haimish Hy.
Leaving the far turn, Utopian, the son of Rock Hard Ten, out of mare Storm Cat mare Storm Alert, alertly made his move and advanced to challenge the lead which was held by Smug.
It was a long stretch duel between Smug and Utopian, as neither was ready to give to the other, until Utopian with Mike Smith pushed a little harder than their adversary at the wire to take the race by a mere head, as Smug held off Holladay Road by 2 ½ lengths in second, and the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby winner, Haimish Hy completed the order of finish.
Bred in Kentucky, Utopian won his first stakes race of his career. In 11 tries, the dark bay/brown horse won for the 3rd time and shot up his earnings to $183,180.
His 4th start of the campaign was the first at Hollywood Park, and a successful one after exiting a 4th place finish to Bourbon Bay in the Grade 2 San Luis Rey at Santa Anita.
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