Gulfstream Park: Hal's Hope to provide test for Strike One

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A field of 10 was entered for Saturday’s Grade 3 Hal’s Hope, including the improving Strike One for trainer Brendan Walsh. Strike One, a son of Street Cry, closed out his 2013 campaign with a pair of allowance wins at Churchill Downs.

“It’s all been coming together for him lately, and I thought if he was doing really well after he got down here, we’d take a shot, throw him in the Hal’s Hope, and see exactly how good he is,” said Walsh, who served as an assistant for trainers Tom Albertrani and Eddie Kenneally before going out on his own two years ago. “He’s been working great at Palm Meadows, and the distance should be perfect for him. He won his last start going a mile and wasn’t stopping at the end.”

[Clocker Reports: Get Mike Welsch’s clocker reports from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows]

Walsh, who has a dozen horses stabled at Palm Meadows, is still seeking the first stakes win of his training career. He sent out Worldly to finish third in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Marathon.

Strike One, to be ridden again by Corey Lanerie, will be part of a Hal’s Hope field that will be led by Csaba and Uncaptured, along with Jackson Bend, Purple Egg, Nikki’s Sandcastle, Neck ’n Neck, Goodtimehadbyall, Lea, and Simmstown.[bc_video_id:313834:]

Csaba and Nikki’s Sandcastle were both cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale, which is carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and serves as a prep for the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Feb. 8. The remainder of the Fort Lauderdale lineup consists of Tetradrachm, Howe Great, Hierro, Suns Out Guns Out, Summer Front, Slumber, Mucho Mas Macho, and Utley.

◗ Financial Mogul, who finished full of run to be second behind Cairo Prince in the Grade 2 Nashua, worked six furlongs in 1:19.80 at Palm Meadows on Wednesday. Trainer Rick Violette said he is on a “tight schedule” but could have Financial Mogul ready to make his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Jan. 25.