Classic of Course returns home for class relief, firm turf in Not Surprising

Trainer Patrick Biancone knew that he was ambitious to bring 3-year-old colt Classic of Course to Churchill Downs last time out for the Grade 1 American Turf. That race got away from the horse and trainer alike, but the Florida-bred will return home as a classy contender in the $75,000 Not Surprising Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“We’re back home at his home field, and I think he should look really good in that race,” Biancone said. “He wants some firm ground.”

Before his 13th-place finish on good turf in Kentucky, Classic of Course made his turf debut in March at Gulfstream and won the $158,000 Cutler Bay, his first stakes victory after six stakes tries on dirt as a juvenile. He went 7 1/2 furlongs to win that day and will run 1 1/16 miles in the Not Surprising.

:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports

Three runners in the field of nine will be making their stakes debut, and another four recently ran in the $80,000 English Channel. If Biancone had chosen to run in that race in early May instead, it’s arguable that his colt would have been the one to beat.

Instead, the English Channel was won by Tank, who was coming off a statebred stakes victory at Tampa Bay Downs. The colt, trained by Carlos David, was not favored in either of his last two starts, but he should earn more respect this weekend.

Win With Faith, runner-up behind Tank in both of his stakes victories, will not run Saturday. Trainer Ronald Spatz chose to enter him in a starter allowance last weekend, where he closed into slow fractions to finish third.

Martha Washington

She may only have one stakes race under her belt, but Starship Impulsive will enter the $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes with a decisive advantage Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“She’s coming around and doing what she’s supposed to do,” trainer Steven Dwoskin said. “We just take our time with them, and they tell us when they want to run.”

In her stakes debut in the $80,000 Honey Ryder last month, Starship Impulsive won by 1 3/4 lengths in a gate-to-wire score. It was her third straight victory on turf, a streak that was interrupted by a poor start on the synthetic in March. It also was her second straight win on the front end.

In the field of nine 3-year-old fillies traveling 1 1/16 miles on turf in the Martha Washington, Starship Impulsive is one of two with a prior stakes victory. The other, Special Aviator, won the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy as a juvenile and finished fifth behind Starship Impulsive in the Honey Ryder last time out.

“It’s similar to that [Honey Ryder] field,” Dwoskin said of the group assembled for the Martha Washington. “There are a couple in there that could improve, but she’s ready.”

Bellavinino, one of two in the field trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., finished eighth in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in March and has not run since. In seven career starts on turf, she has matched or improved upon her previous best Beyer Speed Figure and could finally break through for Joseph with a sharp effort off the layoff.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.