Gulfport awaiting Hopeful decision; plotting return to stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As the connections of Gulfport await a final resolution in the courts regarding the 2022 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga that could eventually make him a Grade 1 winner, they are running him in allowance spots for which he officially remains eligible while hoping to return to stakes company.
Following a victory in a second-level allowance at Churchill Downs on June 30, Gulfport now steps into a third-level allowance/ $80,000 optional claimer that goes as Thursday’s eighth race at Saratoga.
At 2, Gulfport won his first two starts including the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill by 12 1/4 lengths. After finishing second as the 2-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, Gulfport finished second, three lengths behind Forte in the Grade 1 Hopeful. Nine months after the Hopeful, it was announced that Forte had tested positive for the finding of meloxicam in a post-race sample following the Hopeful. Forte was disqualified from his victory in that race and though the New York State Gaming Commission denied the appeal of that disqualification, the connections of Forte –owner Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola – are continuing to fight that ruling in court. The case is still pending.
Meanwhile, Gulfport suffered a hind-end injury in the spring of 2023 that kept him away from the races for 14 months, returning for a 1 3/4-length score in that June 30 allowance, which has produced three next-out winners.
Steve Asmussen, who trains Gulfport for William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, said the race was fine but he believes the horse needs another run before rejoining stakes company.
“He was definitely rusty and I wanted another allowance race but I surely expect him to get back [to stakes],” Asmussen said. “I like how he’s trained but it’s going to take a couple of races to get back as an older horse. Regardless of what happens with the Hopeful [case], he was second to the eventual juvenile champion.”
The competition in the six-furlong race on Thursday includes Disco Ball, who is riding a three-race winning streak, the latter two victories coming at Delaware Park, Little Vic, the winner of the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct, and Gun It, a five-time winner formerly trained by Asmussen who was claimed in 2023 by Linda Rice and, most recently, claimed by Mertkan Kantarmaci.
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