Del Mar: Fury Kapcori can stretch his legs in El Cajon
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DEL MAR, Calif. – Although Fury Kapcori showed promise in sprints last year, it wasn’t until he went around two turns that he displayed his best form, and that is why trainer Jerry Hollendorfer believes an improved performance is in store for the colt in the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes for 3-year-olds on Friday at Del Mar.
Fury Kapcori returned from a 7 1/2-month layoff Aug. 1 and had to go up against a strong group of older horses in a second-level allowance sprint. He did not have a smooth trip in the six-furlong race and finished fourth. He stretches out to a mile on Polytrack in the El Cajon and dips back into a race restricted to 3-year-olds.
[DEL MAR 2013: Complete meet coverage, schedule, race replays]
“I thought his comeback race was really good,” Hollendorfer, who co-owns the colt, said Wednesday morning. “I wanted to bring him back in a sprint. I wanted to get a short race into him before stretching him out. He ran well in sprints last year, but he did better when he went two turns.”
Fury Kapcori completed his 2-year-old campaign in December with a second-place finish behind Violence in the CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park, a performance that put him on the Kentucky Derby radar as the calendar turned to 2013. But Fury Kapcori developed a knee chip that needed to be surgically removed and did not race again until Aug. 1.
There were 11 entered in the El Cajon, but fewer will start. Hollendorfer also entered U’narack, who won the Real Good Deal for California-breds when sprinting Aug. 2, but said he would scratch to go in another spot.
Bob Baffert also entered a pair of horses, the speedy Manando and the comebacking Tiz the Truth, who was entered on Wednesday in an allowance race for Saturday.
Tiz a Minister, fifth behind U’narack in the Real Good Deal, should benefit by a return to a two-turn race. He won the Grade 3 Affirmed and was second in the Grade 2 Swaps during the summer season at Hollywood Park.
Pataky Kid ships in from Arlington, where he won three times on Polytrack, including his last start July 13.
“I’m hoping his Arlington form holds up,” trainer Tom Proctor said.
Holy Lute jumps into a stakes race after defeating maidens in fast time in his second lifetime start Aug. 10. The strength of the field he beat was validated over the weekend when Imperial Fortune, second to Holy Lute in that maiden race, came back and won.
Tree of Life is marooned in the outside post, but figures to improve on his comeback race Aug. 11, in which he raced wide. He won his debut at Del Mar last summer.