Carvajal plots Tampa preps for Imperial Hint

Trainer Luis Carvajal’s stable has grown to 15 horses over the past year, 10 of whom, including his top sprinter Imperial Hint, are spending the winter at Tampa Bay Downs. Carvajal’s other horses are stabled at Parx.

“I wanted to continue training with the horses,” Carvajal said. “It is hard up north because of the weather and track conditions. I have a couple of new clients and some horses who want to run on turf. The turf course at Tampa is magnificent.”

A year ago, Carvajal kept all five of his horses at Parx. Imperial Hint was starting to come into his own but had yet to win a stakes.

Since then, the 4-year-old has gone 5 for 6, including four stakes scores. His only loss came in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint when Roy H rallied by him late to win by a length. Both are expected to be finalists for the Eclipse Award as top male sprinter.

:: Save on PPs, digital subscriptions, and more!

Imperial Hint came out of the BC Sprint in good shape, but has been dealing with a minor foot injury.

“He came back from Del Mar fine, but one morning he was jogging at Parx, bucking and kicking like a happy horse, and he grabbed his front shoe and pulled it off along with a little bit of the wall of his hoof,” Carvajal said.

Carvajal said he plans to re-shoe Imperial Hint in the coming days and have him back in training in a week or so.

“The horse is fine,” he said. “We’ve just been letting the hoof grow back a little bit.”

Carvajal’s spring objective for Imperial Hint is the Grade 2 Churchill Downs, a seven-furlong stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard. To get Imperial Hint to that race, he is planning to run him twice at Tampa Bay Downs – in the $100,000 Pelican Stakes at six furlongs on Feb. 17, and the $100,000 Hilton Garden Inn Stakes, a six-furlong race for statebreds on March 25.

The purse for the Pelican includes $25,000 from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. Imperial Hint, a son of Imperialism, is eligible for the full amount since he was bred in Florida by the Shade Tree Thoroughbreds of Bert Pilcher Jr.