Wildcat Red highlights Millions Preview Day at GP West
Nov 7, 2014 0:19:43 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Nov 7, 2014 0:19:43 GMT -5
Hey CC - Graeme Hall! Bet the ranch LOL
Wildcat Red highlights Millions Preview Day at GP West
Brisnet
After keeping some lofty company in major graded stakes for three-year-olds this year, Wildcat Red is set for a return to South Florida action in Saturday's $100,000 Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West, which will play host to seven stakes worth $700,000 for Florida-bred Thoroughbreds.
The Jose Garoffalo-trained colt, who finished third behind Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in August, is scheduled to make his first start since filling that same spot as the even-money favorite in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park on September 28.
"He came back from Remington Park in good shape. I gave him three weeks off. He's back into his routine and he looks great," said Garoffalo, who trains the son of D'wildcat for the Honors Stable Corp.
Wildcat Red has finished no worse than second in eight starts in South Florida, all at Gulfstream Park, where he captured the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and finished second in a photo finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby during the 2013-2014 Championship Meet.
He suffered a rough trip to be 18th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in his first start outside of Florida before returning to win the Quality Road Stakes at Gulfstream by 10 1/4 lengths on June 28. The bay colt stumbled at the start of the Haskell before pressing the pacesetting Bayern into the stretch and settling for third. He subsequently finished a troubled fifth in the Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga, where he was beaten by only three lengths after hitting the gate at the start, and came in third in the Oklahoma Derby.
"He had a great workout Friday. Edgar Prado breezed him and he's going to ride him in the race," said Garoffalo, whose three-year-old pupil breezed five furlongs in a bullet :59 4/5 at Gulfstream. "Our first goal is to run in the ($350,000) Sunshine Millions Classic (on January 17 at Gulfstream)."
Wildcat Red is set to make his first start at Gulfstream Park West, which is taking place over the Calder track, in the 1 1/16-mile race for three-year-olds and up.
"He hasn't run there before, but it won't be a problem. He'll run his race," Garoffalo said.
East Hall has finished behind Wildcat Red in four meetings, but the Bill Kaplan-trained three-year-old gelding looms as the main threat to Wildcat Red in the Classic Preview.
After finishing behind Wildcat Red in the Gulfstream Park Derby, Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby and Quality Road at Gulfstream, East Hall has experienced success on the road. The son of Graeme Hall captured the lucrative Ohio Derby at Thistledown and Grade 2 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand, sandwiched around a troubled sixth in the Grade 2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.
"He's beaten us a few times, but my horse is better now and maybe he isn't quite as good. I don't know," Kaplan said. "Plus, it's on a new surface. So, we'll see."
East Hall had been tentatively scheduled to run in last Saturday's Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct before Kaplan called an audible and opted for the Millions Classic Preview.
"We were planning to send two horses up there. We had a plane set up, but one horse (Naval Command) couldn't make it. So the economics became a little different. We decided it made more sense to stay in Florida and run for $100,000," explained Kaplan, noting the purse boost from $75,000 to $100,000 was a strong factor in staying home.
The Millions Classic Preview will be the stretch-running East Hall's 11th start of the year and 19th overall.
"He's an iron horse. He's a remarkable animal. He's got a great mind on him. He does what the rider wants him to do," Kaplan stated. "He trains nice and easy.
Multiple stakes winner Best Plan Yet was made eligible to run in the Millions Classic Preview, but Jacks or Better Farm and trainer Stanley Gold have opted to run the sophomore colt in the $100,000 Millions Turf Preview. The son of Hear No Evil captured the Forty Niner Stakes over the Gulfstream turf on August 23 before finishing a disappointing eighth in the Showing Up Stakes at Gulfstream Park West on October 18.
"He threw in a clunker. He looked like he didn't even try. Maybe he didn't like the soft turf. He liked the Gulfstream turf better, but we don't have that option right now," Gold said. "We're going to give him another chance."
Kicking off the stakes action on Millions Preview Day will be the $100,000 Millions Distaff Preview. Ed Plesa Jr. is scheduled to saddle Puddifoot in the one-mile affair off a 4 1/2-length allowance score at Parx Racing on September 13.
The three-year-old daughter of Red Giant was undefeated in two starts last year, winning her debut at Monmouth by 4 3/4 lengths and the Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream by six lengths. This year, Puddifoot went winless in three starts before capturing her last one.
"As a two-year-old, she looked like she could be anything. She broke her maiden impressively. Then she won a Florida-bred stake race at Gulfstream rather impressively. We needed to give her a little time, which we did," Plesa explained.
"She was a little bit of a disappointment the first part of the summer. Her last race was a big race over a Parx, so I think she's on track to pick up where she looked like she could have been during her two-year-old career."
Headlining the Millions Distaff Preview will be the Marty Wolfson-trained Devil's Cave, winner of the Grade 2 Sabin who was last seen finishing third in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day, May 2. The Put It Back four-year-old daughter has not finished off-the-board since joining Wolfson's shedrow last fall and has gone 2-1-2 in her last five starts all against stakes rivals.
The other four stakes, all worth $100,000, are restricted to juveniles. The Juvenile Filly Turf attracted nine and the Juvenile Turf has 12, including one main-track only entrant. Both races are scheduled for a mile on the green. The Juvenile Filly Sprint will see 12 line up, including the winners and some of the top three from the Florida Sire Stakes for fillies, while the Juvenile Sprint also includes the Florida Sire Stakes winners amongst its nine runners. Those two contests will take place at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
Wildcat Red highlights Millions Preview Day at GP West
Brisnet
After keeping some lofty company in major graded stakes for three-year-olds this year, Wildcat Red is set for a return to South Florida action in Saturday's $100,000 Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West, which will play host to seven stakes worth $700,000 for Florida-bred Thoroughbreds.
The Jose Garoffalo-trained colt, who finished third behind Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in August, is scheduled to make his first start since filling that same spot as the even-money favorite in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park on September 28.
"He came back from Remington Park in good shape. I gave him three weeks off. He's back into his routine and he looks great," said Garoffalo, who trains the son of D'wildcat for the Honors Stable Corp.
Wildcat Red has finished no worse than second in eight starts in South Florida, all at Gulfstream Park, where he captured the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and finished second in a photo finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby during the 2013-2014 Championship Meet.
He suffered a rough trip to be 18th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in his first start outside of Florida before returning to win the Quality Road Stakes at Gulfstream by 10 1/4 lengths on June 28. The bay colt stumbled at the start of the Haskell before pressing the pacesetting Bayern into the stretch and settling for third. He subsequently finished a troubled fifth in the Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga, where he was beaten by only three lengths after hitting the gate at the start, and came in third in the Oklahoma Derby.
"He had a great workout Friday. Edgar Prado breezed him and he's going to ride him in the race," said Garoffalo, whose three-year-old pupil breezed five furlongs in a bullet :59 4/5 at Gulfstream. "Our first goal is to run in the ($350,000) Sunshine Millions Classic (on January 17 at Gulfstream)."
Wildcat Red is set to make his first start at Gulfstream Park West, which is taking place over the Calder track, in the 1 1/16-mile race for three-year-olds and up.
"He hasn't run there before, but it won't be a problem. He'll run his race," Garoffalo said.
East Hall has finished behind Wildcat Red in four meetings, but the Bill Kaplan-trained three-year-old gelding looms as the main threat to Wildcat Red in the Classic Preview.
After finishing behind Wildcat Red in the Gulfstream Park Derby, Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby and Quality Road at Gulfstream, East Hall has experienced success on the road. The son of Graeme Hall captured the lucrative Ohio Derby at Thistledown and Grade 2 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand, sandwiched around a troubled sixth in the Grade 2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.
"He's beaten us a few times, but my horse is better now and maybe he isn't quite as good. I don't know," Kaplan said. "Plus, it's on a new surface. So, we'll see."
East Hall had been tentatively scheduled to run in last Saturday's Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct before Kaplan called an audible and opted for the Millions Classic Preview.
"We were planning to send two horses up there. We had a plane set up, but one horse (Naval Command) couldn't make it. So the economics became a little different. We decided it made more sense to stay in Florida and run for $100,000," explained Kaplan, noting the purse boost from $75,000 to $100,000 was a strong factor in staying home.
The Millions Classic Preview will be the stretch-running East Hall's 11th start of the year and 19th overall.
"He's an iron horse. He's a remarkable animal. He's got a great mind on him. He does what the rider wants him to do," Kaplan stated. "He trains nice and easy.
Multiple stakes winner Best Plan Yet was made eligible to run in the Millions Classic Preview, but Jacks or Better Farm and trainer Stanley Gold have opted to run the sophomore colt in the $100,000 Millions Turf Preview. The son of Hear No Evil captured the Forty Niner Stakes over the Gulfstream turf on August 23 before finishing a disappointing eighth in the Showing Up Stakes at Gulfstream Park West on October 18.
"He threw in a clunker. He looked like he didn't even try. Maybe he didn't like the soft turf. He liked the Gulfstream turf better, but we don't have that option right now," Gold said. "We're going to give him another chance."
Kicking off the stakes action on Millions Preview Day will be the $100,000 Millions Distaff Preview. Ed Plesa Jr. is scheduled to saddle Puddifoot in the one-mile affair off a 4 1/2-length allowance score at Parx Racing on September 13.
The three-year-old daughter of Red Giant was undefeated in two starts last year, winning her debut at Monmouth by 4 3/4 lengths and the Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream by six lengths. This year, Puddifoot went winless in three starts before capturing her last one.
"As a two-year-old, she looked like she could be anything. She broke her maiden impressively. Then she won a Florida-bred stake race at Gulfstream rather impressively. We needed to give her a little time, which we did," Plesa explained.
"She was a little bit of a disappointment the first part of the summer. Her last race was a big race over a Parx, so I think she's on track to pick up where she looked like she could have been during her two-year-old career."
Headlining the Millions Distaff Preview will be the Marty Wolfson-trained Devil's Cave, winner of the Grade 2 Sabin who was last seen finishing third in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day, May 2. The Put It Back four-year-old daughter has not finished off-the-board since joining Wolfson's shedrow last fall and has gone 2-1-2 in her last five starts all against stakes rivals.
The other four stakes, all worth $100,000, are restricted to juveniles. The Juvenile Filly Turf attracted nine and the Juvenile Turf has 12, including one main-track only entrant. Both races are scheduled for a mile on the green. The Juvenile Filly Sprint will see 12 line up, including the winners and some of the top three from the Florida Sire Stakes for fillies, while the Juvenile Sprint also includes the Florida Sire Stakes winners amongst its nine runners. Those two contests will take place at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.
