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Globetrotting Grandeur jets in for Man o' War
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| Grandeur is loving life in New York, trainer Jeremy Noseda reports
(Courtesy of Jeremy Noseda via Twitter) |
British-based Grandeur, who has compiled a 4-2-1-0 record in his jaunts to
the United States, seeks to enhance that stat in Sunday's Grade 1, $400,000
Man o'
War Stakes at Belmont Park. The 1 3/8-mile test on the inner turf has also
attracted Arlington Million winner Real Solution; Phipps Stable homebred
Imagining; the Bill Mott-trained Amira's Prince; California shipper Lucayan;
Vertiformer from the Christophe Clement barn; and Frac Daddy, who is auditioning
for a possible trip to Royal Ascot for Ken McPeek.Grandeur's first invasion came in the fall of 2012, when he captured the
Twilight Derby, finished a closing second in the Hollywood Derby, and defeated
older horses in the Hollywood Turf Cup. The Jeremy Noseda charge was out of
luck, however, in his two stateside visits last year. A wide-trip seventh in the
Arlington Million, Grandeur shipped to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Turf,
only to miss the race after spiking a fever. The gray was rerouted to Sha Tin
for the December 8 Hong Kong Cup, where he ended up seventh, beaten only three
lengths by Akeed Mofeed.
So far in 2014, Grandeur has been seen exclusively on the Lingfield Polytrack.
The five-year-old gelding landed the February 22 Winter Derby Trial, but in the
main event March 22, he disappointed when finishing eighth from a wide post.
Grandeur got right back on track with a hard-fought decision in a lucrative
conditions race on Good Friday, billed as the Easter Classic, under a strong
Ryan Moore drive. Drawn in post 1 Sunday, he gets a rider switch to Julien
Leparoux.
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Grandeur aims to turn the tables on Real Solution, who was awarded the
victory in the Arlington Million in their only prior meeting. Had the stewards
not disqualified The Apache for interference, Real Solution would still be
winless since his repatriation to the United States. The Chad Brown trainee was
third in both the Manhattan Handicap and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational
last season, but could do no better than ninth in the Breeders' Cup Turf. Real
Solution returned by running evenly in fourth, while hung out wide on both
turns, in the March 29 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap at Fair Grounds.
The 124-pound highweight picks up the services of Javier Castellano.
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| The improving Imagining aims to give Phipps Stable and trainer Shug McGaughey their third straight Man o' War trophy
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Joe Labozzetta) |
Imagining appears to be a different horse since his sixth in the Joe Hirsch.
Trained by Shug McGaughey, the blueblood son of Giant's Causeway went on to post
a front-running score in the Bowl Game and a rallying victory in the Red Smith
Handicap. Imagining opened 2014 with a second in the February 9 Gulfstream Park
Turf Handicap, and a step back up in trip should bring forth further improvement
here. The progressive six-year-old could give McGaughey his third straight Man
o' War, following fellow Phipps colorbearers Point of Entry and Boisterous.
"He ran a great race down there," McGaughey said of the Gulfstream Park Turf.
"His last three races have been good races. One of the reasons I was so
impressed with the Red Smith was that he was laying off the pace. Going down the
backside, I said to myself, 'This is going to be interesting.' He laid off the
pace at Gulfstream, too. If there's no speed in there, if we get the lead,
that's good, too."
Amira's Prince was a fine third in the Gulfstream Park Turf in his comeback
from a 10-month layoff. The Irish import had won his first four U.S. starts,
including the 2013 Mac Diarmida and Muniz, and could be cycling back into peak
form. In his second try back, he missed by only a neck when attempting to defend
his Muniz title at Fair Grounds, and the Man o' War marks his third start off
the bench.
Lucayan, winner of the 2012 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand
Guineas), is still in search of a Grade 1 coup in North America. He has been a
fairly consistent type for Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, and found a new lease on
life when stretching out to longer distances. Since notching his lone U.S. win
in the December 14 Hollywood Turf Cup, Lucayan has placed in the February 8 San
Marcos and March 22 San Luis Rey.
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Vertiformer, who resurfaced from a year-long absence in January, is in the
form of his life since joining Clement. A close third in the John B. Connally
Turf Cup in his reappearance, he was a fast-finishing runner-up in the March 29
Pan American, falling just a neck shy.
"He had a nice race at Gulfstream; it's a little bit ambitious to run him in
a Grade 1 but he's doing well, he'll stay, so let's go," Clement said. "He had
been training well, so it was not a surprise he ran well. He's an older horse,
so like me, maybe he's a slow learner. He hasn't won yet, so I have to do a
better job."
Frac Daddy's only turf win came in an entry-level allowance at Saratoga last
August, but he did conclude his sophomore campaign with a close second in the
Commonwealth Turf for Ken McPeek. He exits a powerful, 4 3/4-length romp in the
April 19 Ben Ali over Keeneland's Polytrack, and reverts to the grass as a
warm-up for a projected tilt at the June 21 Hardwicke at Royal Ascot.
Sunday's other turf stakes, the $100,000
License Fee, is a six-furlong dash on the inner course. Notable contenders
include Coarsegold and Madame Giry, the respective first and third in the April
20 Safari Queen at Gulfstream; Free as a Bird, a solid second in the April 19
Giant's Causeway at Keeneland, and Believe in Charlie, a hampered ninth in the
same event; veteran racemare Sounds of the City; Bridgehampton, who's eligible
to move up on turf as a daughter of Bernardini; and main-track-only entrants
Munnings Sister and Lion D N A.
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