Caribou Club takes on familiar company in Umphrey

After putting the five-furlong question to rest with his victory in the Sunny Isles overnight handicap earlier this spring, Caribou Club looms as the one to beat once again, returning Sunday at Gulfstream as the likely favorite in the $100,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.

Caribou Club had never competed at five furlongs and had registered only one of his previous nine career tallies at distances under 6 1/2 furlongs prior to parlaying a perfect trip under jockey Edwin Gonzalez into a 1 1/4-length victory for trainer Tom Proctor in the Sunny Isles. The win was the first for the 7-year-old homebred son of City Zip since he captured the Grade 3 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup by a head with a furious late rally going one mile at Laurel Park in September 2019.

A four-time graded stakes winner with career earnings of more than $741,000, Caribou Club couldn’t have enjoyed a better setup than he had in his last start. Rating several lengths off a contested early pace, Caribou Club moved to closer contention while still in hand approaching the quarter pole, angled four wide for the drive before readily overtaking Harry’s Ontheloose to win going clear.

Caribou Club has continued to train forwardly for the Bob Umphrey, having posted three consecutive bullet works over the Palm Meadows turf course, including five furlongs around the wide dogs in 59 flat on June 20 while shading 23 seconds for his final quarter-mile. Caribou Club will pick up two pounds off his most recent effort, carrying 124 under the allowance conditions of the Umphrey.

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Five of the seven horses Caribou Club defeated last time are also entered in the Umphrey, including Harry’s Ontheloose, who prompted the early running three wide and stuck his head in front approaching the furlong marker before ultimately proving no match for the winner.

Trip players may take a chance with Tiger Blood in Sunday’s rematch. The 8-year-old veteran, with 19 career wins on his résumé but none since April 2020, broke a step slow and was hung four wide in the Sunny Isles. He loomed boldly through the stretch before hanging a bit to check home third, just 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner.

The pace should be an honest one for Caribou Club and the others to run at once again with Yes I Am Free, breaking from the rail, along with 3-year-olds Nitro Time, Brother Satchmo, and Sovereign Warrior expected to engage in spirited battle during the early going.

The new kid on the block may also be the most interesting member of the Umphrey lineup. Ete Indien returns to action for the first time in over a year and tries grass for the first time since the fall of his 2-year-old campaign. Ete Indien participated in all three major Kentucky Derby prep races at Gulfstream during the 2020 championship meeting, sandwiching an impressive victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth between a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and a third-place effort, five lengths behind Tiz the Law, in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

“He’s trained extremely well but when you have not run for a year, you cannot have the horse super tight,” said trainer Patrick Biancone. “He had a little hiccup and he’s recovered from everything now. I like the five furlongs on turf for a comeback, because it’s not too hard on them.”

Florent Geroux, who rode Ete Indien in both the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby a year ago, was in town to ride Diamond Oops for Biancone in Saturday’s Grade 2 Smile Sprint and will stick around another day to keep his regular seat aboard Ete Indien in the Umphrey.

R Mercedes Boy, who finished a tiring sixth in the Sunny Isles, and Ournationonparade, cross-entered Saturday in the Smile, are the lone main-track-only entrants in the lineup.