Easy Gallop tries to stretch out again

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - John Forbes believes Easy Gallop can have a promising future as a miler.

The all-time leading trainer at the Meadowlands will get an indication if the 3-year-old colt agrees in Tuesday afternoon's $48,000 feature race. Easy Gallop faces four rivals in the third-level $50,000 optional claimer at one mile.

Easy Gallop has been on a solid roll in sprints after running in routes the first three times out. He immediately perked up on the cutback, winning first and second-level allowances at Monmouth Park in September.

In his Big M debut, Easy Gallop was a game second to Lucky James in the Eillo Stakes at six furlongs on Oct. 23. Forbes passed up another sprint opportunity last week, scratching Easy Gallop from the Sophomore Sprint Championship at Mountaineer Park.

Instead, Easy Gallop will face a small but solid field in his return to a two-turn race.

Eddie Castro, aboard for the first time in the Eillo, has the return call.

In his previous route races, Easy Gallop raced on or very close to the pace. It will be interesting to see where he winds up tactically as this race is loaded with speed.

You don't need to look beyond the rail to find the likely pacesetter, Hermosillo.

A 5-year-old New Jersey-bred gelding, Hermosillo will go as full-tilt fast as he needs to preserve the lead. Those tactics paid off with a gate-to-wire upset at 35-1 in the Charles Hesse III Handicap for statebreds at Monmouth on Aug. 23.

Hermosillo has faced this same open-company class the last two times out, setting the pace to earn a near-miss second and a fifth.

Trainer Rick Dutrow is serving a suspension, so Juan Rodriguez is the trainer of record this afternoon for Dubinsky, a 3-year-old who lost his last two while heavily favored.

Actin Good, a veteran stakes campaigner in New Jersey, is in new hands today. Mark Shuman claimed the 5-year-old gelding for $50,000 last time out.