Capture the Time, Uno Tiger have found their forte
It’s common for a horse to improve dramatically with a surface switch, and that’s what happened with Capture the Time and Uno Tiger. Capture the Time moved up on turf and looks like the one to beat in a first-level allowance sprint for 3-year-olds on the grass Sunday at Gulfstream. Uno Tiger won the first time he tried Tapeta and will be a short price on that surface Sunday in a $25,000 starter race at a mile and 70 yards.
Capture the Time ran okay for trainer Reynaldo Yanez on dirt in his first three starts, including third-place finishes in back-to-back maiden special weight races for Florida-breds on Dec. 19 and Jan. 23 at Gulfstream. In his first try on turf, Capture the Time took a huge step forward, finishing second behind Big Invasion in a five-furlong open maiden race Feb. 19. The 80 Beyer Speed Figure he received was substantially higher than the 54 from his previous race. Big Invasion came back to win the $75,000 Texas Glitter with a 96 Beyer on March 26.
Capture the Time showed his improved performance was no fluke when he won a $50,000 optional maiden claimer with an 85 Beyer on March 9 at Gulfstream. He set fast fractions in the five-furlong dash and will likely be the one they have to run down from post 3 with Leonel Reyes up in Sunday’s ninth race.
The Rohan Crichton-trained Brit’s Candyman looks like the main threat following his third-place finish in the Texas Glitter.
Trikitraki was a troubled fourth in the Texas Glitter and could improve as a first-time Lasix user for trainer Gilberto Zerpa.
Old Town Road and Trikitraki took advantage of the $75,000 claiming option available to the seven horses entered in the five-furlong dash.
In the eighth race, the Kathleen O’Connell-trained Uno Tiger is coming off a victory in a first-level allowance race for Florida-breds on April 7, his second win on the Gulfstream synthetic surface. Uno Tiger’s first win on Tapeta came in a $20,000 claimer for nonwinners of two in January, and in his only loss on the surface, he was a neck behind Conglomerate at the wire in a $20,000 starter race Feb. 24. The 85 Beyer he received was a career best, and he equaled it in his powerful performance April 7.
Uno Tiger also finished a close third running over a sloppy main track in a $40,000 starter race Feb. 9.
Paco Lopez rode Uno Tiger in his last four races and will be aboard when he breaks from the inside post Sunday.
The Todd Pletcher-trained Six Minus will be going for the hat trick following wins in a $16,000 maiden claimer on Tapeta on Feb. 27 and a half-length victory over The Great Oz going 1 1/16 miles on turf in a $20,000 claimer for nonwinners of two on March 20.