Cutty Shark looks to turn tables on Never Stop Looking
Never Stop Looking was up late at 24-1 to win the six-furlong Fire Plug Stakes by a neck at Laurel Park on Jan. 3. Cutty Shark finished third at 6-1, beaten a half-length. On Friday, the pair will be rematched going an eighth of a mile farther.
The third-level optional claimer – actually an allowance since none of the nine horses are entered for the $32,000 claiming price – also includes two intriguing comebackers. Extrasexyhippzster, a two-time stakes winner, makes his first start since May for Mike Trombetta, and So Brilliant, 6, runs for the first time since September 2013. Previously trained by Bob Baffert, he is now in the barn of David Jacobson.
Also in the field is Golden Rings, who in his last two starts has posted front-running, blowout wins in optional-claiming and allowance company.
There are several other nice races at Laurel on Friday. In the fourth, Stonebriar returns to the maiden ranks after facing stakes company in three straight races and will face Jackson P, who comes off a sharp runner-up debut at Laurel. The card also includes a second-level optional-claiming race and a first-level allowance.
The Jan. 3 Fire Plug Stakes was contested over a muddy, sealed track in fog that made it difficult to identify the runners on the far turn. At the quarter pole, Never Stop Looking and Cutty Shark were side by side, three and four wide. They swung wider into the stretch and then finished well, with Never Stop Looking earning a neck victory in the final sixteenth of a mile.
KEY CONTENDERS
Cutty Shark (Last 3 Beyers: 92-92-98)
◗ He has good tactical speed but was farther back than usual in the Fire Plug and then was fanned widest of all into the stretch.
◗ His pace-pressing second-level win two starts back makes him the horse to beat here.
Never Stop Looking (Last 3 Beyers: 93-85-78)
◗ It’s a rare race when he isn’t in the hunt, but wins have not come easily for the 6-year-old. Last year, he was 1 for 15. The Fire Plug was his first win since Jan. 30, 2014.
◗ Five for 41 in his career, he is 3 for 6 over wet tracks.
So Brilliant (Last 3 Beyers: 88-102-81)
◗ This will be his first start since September 2013. He has been working steadily since August. He has had 12 works at Los Alamitos, one at Santa Anita, and six at Aqueduct.
◗ He went 3 for 6 for Baffert, including a win in the 2011 Hollywood Prevue, and now debuts for Jacobson off a nearly 17-month layoff.
Golden Rings (Last 3 Beyers: 96-85-55)
◗ He has been fun to watch in his last two starts, opening long early leads and simply running his rivals off their feet.
◗ This will be his first start since Nov. 30. He has only one recorded work in that time period.
Extrasexyhippzster (Last 3 Beyers: 58-64-76)
◗ He will make his first start since the Chick Lang Stakes on Preakness Day last year.
◗ Following wins in the Don Rickles at Aqueduct in December 2013 and the Miracle Wood at Laurel in January 2014, he finished off the board in the Gotham, Blue Grass, and Lang.