‘Freaky fast' H P Moon one to catch in Spectacular Bid

For a horse with only one start, H P Moon has experienced plenty of drama. The next chapter in the promising 3-year-old’s career comes Saturday in Laurel Park’s $100,000 Spectacular Bid at seven furlongs.

The Spectacular Bid is one of six stakes worth a total of $550,000 on the Winter Carnival program. A potential snowstorm in the Mid-Atlantic area might affect the day’s racing.

H P Moon was scheduled to debut in a maiden special weight at Saratoga on July 31. He made it to the paddock, said trainer Lacey Gaudet, before being scratched by the horse identifiers, who said they were not comfortable the listed markings matched the horse.

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H P Moon did start at Pimlico on Aug. 21 and ran to his 2-5 odds. He blasted to the lead, won by 9 3/4 lengths and earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure (81) for a 2-year-old in Maryland in 2021.

“I would be lying if I said we weren’t expecting it,” said Gaudet.

H P Moon missed the rest of the year after undergoing minor ankle surgery.

“He came back here and did all his rehab with us,” said Gaudet. “He’s pretty darn fit.”

Gaudet stated that H P Moon is “freaky fast.”

“I’d be hard-pressed to see anyone in front of us,” Gaudet said.

Trainer John Robb counters with Alottahope in the Spectacular Bid. A debut winner at Laurel on Nov. 13, Alottahope was stymied by traffic when second in the Maryland Juvenile Championship there on Dec. 18. Two weeks later, he rallied from midpack to win an allowance sprint at Laurel.

Robb has been suitably impressed with Alottahope. “I don’t know where the bottom is,” he said.

Uncaptured Spirit graduated by 7 3/4 lengths at Laurel on Dec. 30 in his return from a 164-day layoff.

“He needed to mature,” trainer Mark Shuman said of the layoff. “He had a few little 2-year-old things.”

Shuman expects his colt to be close to the lead.

“Ideally, we’d break on top, put some pressure [on H P Moon], and let him struggle a little bit,” Shuman said.

Witty provided McLane Hendriks with his first training victory when the Great Notion gelding took the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx on Dec. 7. Entered back in the Parx Juvenile on Dec. 29, he was scratched with a foot abscess.

“We put a Z-bar shoe on, allowed him to grow his foot out, and he’s training like a fire-breathing dragon,” Hendriks said.

Local Motive was used up in a speed duel and finished fifth as the favorite in the Maryland Juvenile Championship. Trainer John Salzman Jr. said he wanted jockey J.D. Acosta to take back a few lengths on Local Motive in the Maryland Juvenile Championship, and pointed out that the gelding had won from just off the pace in his previous race.

Salzman would love Local Motive to rate Saturday, but is concerned he may react to dirt clods hitting him after he breaks from post 2. Local Motive was hit in the eye by a dirt clod last summer, he said.

Completing the field are Shake Em Loose, Last Romance, Coastal Mission, Beast Or Famine, Heffner, and Sharp Red Eagle.

◗ Luna Belle will likely go favored in the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs. Trained by Hamilton Smith, the daughter of Great Notion rallied from seventh to win the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Championship on Dec. 18 at Laurel.

Buff My Boots is going to the lead, said Salzman, her trainer, and she may be pressured by Beneath the Stars. If those two duel on the lead, it would enhance Luna Belle’s chances.