Classic Rock pointing for Smile Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – For most horses, working four furlongs in 46.60 seconds would be considered serious business. But not Gulfstream Park Sprint winner Classic Rock, who routinely makes lightning-fast works such as the one he turned in here Sunday morning seem like a breeze.

“He was really in hand the whole way,” said Kathy Ritvo, who trains the speedy Classic Rock for her principal owners, Dean and Patti Reeves. “He looked like he was just galloping out there and still went in 46 and three.”

Sunday’s work was just the second for Classic Rock since he rallied from just off the pace to an impressive three-length victory in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint on March 3. The win was the second in as many starts since the son of Maclean’s Music returned to action last December following a 5 1/2-month layoff.

“He came back from his last race really well,” said Ritvo. “He hasn’t missed a day of training, although we’re never in any real rush with him either. He always runs well with time between races.”

Ritvo’s next major goal for Classic Rock is the Grade 3 Smile Sprint here on June 29, a race that was quietly taken off the list of Challenge races for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint earlier this year.

“Obviously it’s a disappointment the Smile is no longer a Win and You’re In,” said Ritvo. “But we’re still going to point for the race because we’d love to keep him here for as long as we can. The sprint division is very tough this year, and our first aim is to keep this horse successful. He’s bigger, stronger, and healthier than ever right now. He looks amazing. We’ll leave it up to him to tell us, as we move forward, if he’s good enough to compete in the Breeders’ Cup. If he continues to show us he’s good enough, then we’ll continue to progress in that direction. We might look for another race before the Smile. We could take him out of town for something like that if we have to. I’ll sit down with Dean and discuss our options before making any definite plans.”

Ritvo is also looking forward to the new crop of 2-year-olds she’s getting in for the Reeveses this season, a group that includes a handful by Mucho Macho Man, whom she trained to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2013.

“I’ve got five 2-year-olds here already, including a filly by Mucho Macho Man and another bunch of his babies coming in later this spring, that I’m really excited about,” said Ritvo.