Thursday, November 24, 2011

W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2) & Fred Hooper Handicap (G3)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2011) – Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone’s 6-year-old Virginia homebred Winchester has ranked among North America’s best long-distance turf stakes performers for several seasons, and will be the favorite and horse to beat in Saturday’s $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2) at Calder Casino & Race Course.

Jockey Joe Bravo picks up the mount on Winchester for trainer Christophe Clement in the 40th edition of the 1 ½ miles turf marathon after he missed a second chance to run in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) early this month at Churchill Downs after an unsatisfactory endoscopic examination following a workout the weekend before at Belmont Park.


A son of the Firestones’ 1987 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner and Eclipse champion Theatrical, Winchester had an outstanding season in 2010 when he won the Manhattan Handicap (G1) and Turf Classic (G1) at Belmont before a close-up fourth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill. However, he finished that campaign with an unfortunate trip to the Far East in December finishing 11th in the Hong Kong Vase (G1).

In three starts this year, Winchester finished second in the Stars and Stripes Stakes (G3) at Arlington Park in July, won the Sword Dancer Invitational (G1) at Saratoga in mid-August, and apparently couldn’t handle ‘yielding’ ground when fifth in the Turf Classic at Belmont last out on Oct. 1.

A field of 11 was drawn for the W.L. McKnight, although two of them are double-entered into the $100,000 Fred W. Hooper Handicap (G3) to be run on the main track at 1 1/8 miles the same day. Winchester’s most dangerous rivals appear to be of a pair of long-distance turf stakes veterans trained by Roger Attfield with leading Calder jockey Luis Saez named to ride Stella Perdomo’s Musketier and Pedro Morales aboard Haras Santa Maria de Araras’ Simmard.

Musketier is a 9-year-old German-bred that won back-to-back renewals of the 12-furlong Elkhorn Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in 2010-11 and is always dangerous at the mile-and-half distance. The roan/gray son of Acatenango did well at Gulfstream Park last winter finishing second in the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) and third in the Pan American (G3), but has struggled since in his last three starts at Woodbine.

A contender with good recent form is Amerman Racing LLC’s 4-year-old Center Divider to be ridden by Paco Lopez for trainer Chad Brown. The chestnut son of Giant’s Causeway finished second in the 11-furlong Bowling Green Handicap (G2) at Belmont in September and third last out behind Sanagas in the 12-furlong Sycamore Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on Oct. 20.

The ‘wild card’ in the field for the W.L. McKnight is Ninety North Racing Stable’s 4-year-old Argentine-bred Astral Thunder, a son of Thunder Gulch, making his North American debut for veteran horseman Jimmy Toner with Fernando Jara aboard for his first start since finishing second in a Group 2 test going 1 7/8 miles at San Isidro in August.

Completing the field are Quantum Racing Team #1 LLC’s Mambo Meister, Fernando Jara; Teresa and James Remez’ Livingston Street, Juan Leyva; Bernardo Campos’s Scottish Coast, Maynard Lopez; Bob Gary Racing’s Gondorf, Sebastian Madrid; Henco Inc.’s Trust the Deputy, Luis Jurado; and Blackacre Farms’ Flatter This, Luis Saez.

Mambo Meister and Flatter This are the two double-entered into the Fred Hooper Handicap and are only expected to be considered for the W.L. McKnight if the race were forced off turf and run on the main track at 1 ¼ miles.

Mambo Meister has posted all of his 11 victories from 39 career starts at Calder, winning Graded stakes on turf and dirt along the way for trainer Phil Gleaves while posting earnings of $684,000, although he has run well in stakes on the road over the years, including Saratoga and Santa Anita.

Mambo Meister is assigned topweight of 121 pounds in the Fred Hooper and will be the horse to beat assuming he goes in the Fred Hooper, conceding five or more pounds to seven rivals. Third in this race last year behind Tackleberry, the son of King Cugat ran well last out to finish second by a length behind Mad Flatter in the Spend A Buck Handicap (G3) on Oct. 15.

An intriguing prospect in the race shipping in from Fair Hill training center in Maryland is Three Diamonds Farm’s 5-year-old gelding Jimanator and Joe Bravo picking up the mount for trainer Michael Trombetta. The son of Broken Vow has changed barns through the claim box three times this year, most recently taken for $20,000 at Saratoga in August and winning an allowance race at Parx on Oct. 11 by 6 ¼ lengths.

Completing the field for the Fred Hooper are Donald Hunt’s Stimulus Plan, Brian Theriot; Elena Arocha’s Tellum Berto, Abigail Fuller; Dr. Derek and Kimberly Paul’s Sky Venture, Juan Leyva; Winning Stable’s Generalissimo, Pedro Morales; Blackacre Farms’ Flatter This, Luis Saez; and Winning Stables’ Shellback, Daniel Centeno.