Golden Hawk tries two turns in Grey Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Golden Hawk will look to build on his Sept. 4 debut win when he faces four other 2-year-olds in Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Grey Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta at Woodbine.
Golden Hawk went straight to the front Sept. 4, dueling through moderate fractions before holding off a closing Woodbridge in deep stretch. Golden Hawk earned a 74 Beyer Speed Figure in the seven-furlong turf sprint under jockey Patrick Husbands.
The Live Oak Plantation homebred appears to be moving forward off his first start after breezing a quick five furlongs in 58.80 seconds on Tapeta in company with multiple graded stakes winner Conquest Typhoon on Sept. 28.
Grey Stakes, Race 8
Key Contenders
Golden Hawk, by Tapit
Beyer: 74
◗ Woodbridge, after that Sept. 4 race, won in his first start around two turns last Sunday at Woodbine with a 71 Beyer.
◗ Trainer Mark Casse has won the Grey Stakes three times.
Night Watchman, by First Defence
Last 3 Beyers: 71-79-38
◗ He’ll be looking to record his first win in the Grey and is the only horse in the field who has raced around two turns before. In that two-turn start Sept. 11, Night Watchman took the lead in the stretch but couldn’t hold off the rallying Megagray.
Han Sense, by Hansen
Last 2 Beyers: 62-59
◗ He became a stakes winner in his debut, winning a restricted stakes at Prairie Meadows over six furlongs on dirt with a 59 Beyer. He subsequently rallied from off the pace to be fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile in his most recent start Sept. 3 and will add blinkers for this start.
Preemptive Strike, by Harlan’s Holiday
Last 3 Beyers: 53-47-13
◗ He also exits the Kentucky Downs Juvenile, where he finished eighth, and will now run on synthetic for the first time. There is some synthetic-racing success in the family, as his half-sister Sky Treasure was graded stakes-placed on synthetic and his half-brother Surgical Strike won the John Battaglia Memorial on Polytrack at Turfway Park last March.
King and His Court, by Court Vision
Last 3 Beyers: 67-65-64
◗ He’ll experiment going two turns after running third behind Signature Spring in the Colin Stakes over six furlongs in his most recent start Sept. 11.
◗ He’ll make his seventh start of the season after running in six sprints. His dam sprinted in all eight of her starts.