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Henny Hughes is the sprint King Zabeel Racing International's HENNY HUGHES (Hennessy) remains the one to beat in the sprint division this year after taking the $250,000 King's Bishop S. (G1) by an easy 5 1/4 lengths on Saturday. The strapping chestnut rated in second while Quietly Go (Real Quiet) posted the first quarter in :22 1/5 to his inside, but his advantage didn't last as Henny Hughes took the lead leaving the three-eighths pole. Clocking a half-mile in :44 3/5, the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee loped effortlessly to the wire under John Velazquez while the remainder of the field battled it out for best of the rest. Star Dabbler (Saint Ballado) won that minor skirmish, hitting the wire three parts of a length over Court Folly (Royal Academy), who rallied from ninth to take the show. Mach Ride (Pentelicus) was another length back in fourth and followed by Songster (Songandaprayer), Quietly Go, Laptop Computer (Notebook), Master of Disaster (Dance Master) and El Nino (Storm Cat). Lewis Michael (Rahy) and Garibaldi (Golden Missile) were scratched. Henny Hughes paid $3.50, $3.10 and $2.60 for the win as the 3-5 favorite while Star Dabbler gave back $12.80 and $6.40 at 24-1. Court Folly returned $3.70 at 6-1, and the exotics paid $52 (exacta), $173 (trifecta) and $711 for the 2-5-4-10 superfecta. "The way he ran today was most impressive," McLaughlin said. "This is so important for the horse's future because it's a Grade 1. He loves this track. The Vosburgh ([G1] on October 7 at Belmont Park) is where we'll go then the Breeders' Cup Sprint ([G1] at Churchill Downs on November 4). The Vosburgh is against older, but he's ready for it." Bred in Kentucky by Liberation Farm, Trackside Farm & CHO LLC, Henny Hughes is out of the winning stakes-placed mare Meadow Flyer (Meadowlake), whose latest foals are a yearling colt by Zavata and a 2006 colt by Champali. Henny Hughes annexed his first three starts as a two-year-old last year, then came home second in his next two outings to First Samurai (Giant's Causeway). He finally defeated that rival when running second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. (G1) to subsequent champion two-year-old male Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even) in his first start for McLaughlin. Henny Hughes made his first start back from that effort a dominant 10-length performance in the Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup S. (G3) in July at Monmouth Park. "All I tried to do was hold him together," Velazquez explained. "He did it all by himself. It was just cruising speed the whole way. Everybody got tired chasing him. He's a tremendous horse." Purchased for $180,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale, Henny Hughes RNA'd for $370,000 at the Barretts March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Saturday's victory improves his record to 7-4-3-0 with $884,820 in earnings.
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