Byhubbyhellomoney should benefit from a crowded early pace
Byhubbyhellomoney could get a decent setup behind a handful of speed horses Thursday in the featured eighth race at Belmont Park.
The second-level allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares is led by The Important One, who popped a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 96 for wiring allowance rivals in an off-the-turf sprint in August at Saratoga.
The race Thursday will be run over six furlongs, and it drew a field of 10.
Byhubbyhellomoney will be cutting back in distance following her win over 1 1/8 miles in the $200,000 Fleet Indian on Aug. 27 at Saratoga. She stalked the pace and was a neck winner while equaling her best career Beyer Speed Figure, a 78.
The win was the first Saratoga stakes victory for 83-year-old trainer Bob Dunham, who trained 1972 sprint champion Chou Croute.
“My family has been trying to get me to retire, but what would I do,” Dunham told the New York Racing Association press office. “I like to play cards, and I like to go fly-fishing in Vermont and Montana. But you can’t go fishing every day.”
Dunham instead will be saddling Byhubbyhellomoney in the Thursday feature. She will break from the rail, with Eric Cancel aboard for Jupiter Stable. Byhubbyhellomoney could get an ideal pace setup behind The Important One, Honey Money, Beautiful Karen, Shaker Shack, and Rossa Veloce.
Byhubbyhellomoney was a maiden winner at six furlongs in a turf race in June at Belmont Park. She was a $40,000 claim from that start and went on to run third by a neck in a first-level allowance sprint at 5 1/2 furlongs in July at Saratoga. Both starts came against older horses, and Byhubbyhellomoney will return to those ranks after defeating straight 3-year-olds in the Fleet Indian.
Dunham is a native of Kentucky who started his racing career at the age of 12, mucking stalls at Claiborne Farm.
“I worked there for Bull Hancock,” Dunham told NYRA. “Moody Jolley was the trainer. When I was a teenager, Bull asked me if I wanted to be Moody’s foreman. My parents wanted me to stay in school, but I went with Moody. I was the assistant when he trained Round Table.”
Round Table, who was trained for much of his career by William Molter, is a member of the Hall of Fame.
Dunham’s top trainees include Moment of Hope, winner of the Grade 2 Stuyvesant Handicap in New York in 1987.
In addition to Byhubbyhellomoney, there is one other New York-bred stakes winner in the Thursday field. Shaker Shack captured a $200,000 New York Stallion Stakes division in April at Aqueduct. Javier Castellano has the mount from post 6 for trainer Naipaul Chatterpaul.
◗ The card also includes a first-level allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares at a mile. I’m Perfect Too will meet winners for the first time following a win in a maiden special weight sprint against open company for which she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 on Sept. 6 at Saratoga.