Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Short-priced favorites loom in both Silks Run, Hutcheson
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sprinters of the very fast kind will be in the spotlight Saturday at Gulfstream Park when the Hutcheson and Silks Run are run as co-features of a 12-race card.
Both $100,000 races figure to have a strong favorite. Super Chow is sure to be odds-on versus six other 3-year-olds in the six-furlong Hutcheson, while Big Invasion should be in the even-money range against 11 older turf sprinters in the Silks Run.
First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the two stakes being run about 90 minutes apart. The Hutcheson goes as race 8 (4:07 p.m. Eastern) and the Silks Run as race 11 (5:35). Both are part of a 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 7-12) that had a $206,270 jackpot carryover into Thursday action. The $100,000 Any Limit for 3-year-old fillies was also scheduled for Saturday but drew only two entries and will not be brought back.
The next major date here is April 1, when the Grade 1 Florida Derby anchors the final weekend of the 2022-23 Championship meet.
Silks Run
Big plans for Big Invasion for the conclusion of a terrific 3-year-old season suddenly went kaput when the colt suffered a minor injury in what wound up being his final start of 2022. He eventually was sent to owner Dean Reeves’s Ocalaarea farm following a thirdplace finish as a 1-2 favorite in the Sept. 10 Franklin-Simpson at Kentucky Downs. Reeves and trainer Christophe Clement were forced to scuttle plans for a run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
That setback, however, hasn’t stopped Reeves from envisioning a big 2023 for Big Invasion, including a possible run at the Royal Ascot meet and the BC Turf Sprint at Del Mar. It’s not the stuff of fairy tales, given how the colt reeled off six straight wins last year, including a pair of Saratoga stakes romps with 100 and 99 Beyer Speed Figures.
“We’ve been anxious to get him back going,” said Reeves. “You just hope he comes back a tad better this year. This race came up a little tougher than we thought it might, so it’ll be a good test. After this, we’re planning on running him on Derby Day,” May 6, at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint.
Big Invasion, with Joel Rosario riding from post 9, is in no easy spot after preparing with a series of recent works at Payson Park. Among his Saturday rivals is Carotari (post 2, Irad Ortiz Jr.), who has racked up four wins and two seconds from seven tries over the local turf while amassing a bankroll of $713,113 from 30 career starts.
“I think he comes into this a little fitter and tighter and sharper than in his first two races down here this year,” said Brian Lynch, who trains 7-year-old Carotari for Bill Branch. “In my mind he’s as good as ever. We’d love to reach the million-dollar mark with him.”
Another Silks Run contender with a penchant for winning is Yes I Am Free (post 6, Emisael Jaramillo), whose two wins here this winter has moved his overall record to 11 for 25. While the speedy gelding won this race last year by a neck over Belgrano (post 5, Javier Castellano), the presence of Big Invasion and Carotari in this renewal makes his quest for a repeat a very difficult assignment.
Hutcheson
The seven-furlong distance of the Grade 3 Swale Stakes here last month was just a bit much for Super Chow, as was the winner, General Jim. But by turning back to six furlongs in the Hutcheson facing what appears to be a softer group, there can be little doubt he’ll be a tiny price Saturday.
“I think six furlongs is his strength,” said Jorge Delgado, who trains Super Chow for the Lea Farms of Bill Cosgrove. “We tried something a little different last time. We’re going to stay at six furlongs.”
Super Chow, with Chantal Sutherland riding from post 3, should be able to make all the pace looking to maintain an unbeaten record in non-graded races. Besides the Swale, the only other defeat for the Lord Nelson colt in his seven starts came in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.
“Just don’t get in his way,” said Sutherland. “I’m quiet as can be on him, which is probably the best thing for him.”
Live Is Life (post 5, Leonel Reyes), a second Delgado trainee, is among the candidates to fill the vertical wagers, along with Diamond Cool (post 2, Ortiz) and Two of a Kind (post 4, Rosario).
This is the 69th Hutcheson, which in its glory days was used as a Kentucky Derby stepping-stone by such superstars as Spectacular Bid (1979), Swale (1984), and Holy Bull (1994). Todd Pletcher has won it a record eight times, most recently with Provocateur last year.