Gunmetal Gray's savvy earns him Sham Stakes win

ARCADIA, Calif. – The experience gained by Gunmetal Gray in four prior starts, and favored Coliseum's lack of experience coming into the race, were in stark contrast Saturday at Santa Anita in the Grade 3, $100,702 Sham Stakes.

Gunmetal Gray did everything right, rallying from seventh to prevail while taking advantage of a hot pace that helped his late kick. Coliseum did everything wrong, breaking poorly and then getting rank, eventually beating just one horse as the 3-5 favorite.

Gunmetal Gray, with Mike Smith up, closed best to beat Sueno by one length, with Much Better three-quarters of a length farther back in third in this race for 3-year-olds. Much Better had taken the lead entering the lane in the one-mile race, but he got to wandering around in deep stretch and surrendered the lead to Sueno, who was nailed by Gunmetal Gray.

Gray Magician finished 1 1/4 lengths back of Much Better in fourth, then came, in order, Easy Shot, Coliseum, and Savagery.

Gunmetal Gray ($9.40) completed one mile on the fast main track in 1:38.96. The race was fast early, slow late, with an opening half-mile in 46.95 seconds. The final half in 52 helped the late-running Gunmetal Gray.

“I started to feel good when they put up 46 and change,” said Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains Gunmetal Gray and co-owns him in a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds and Pearl Racing.

Gunmetal Gray got a bit of class relief on Saturday. He had finished second to certain divisional champion Game Winner in the FrontRunner here before finishing fifth behind Game Winner last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

“First time shipping, tough spot,” Hollendorfer said of the Breeders’ Cup.

Smith, aboard Gunmetal Gray for the first time, said “distance doesn’t seem to be a problem.”

“Mike thinks he can run a mile and a quarter,” Hollendorfer said later, referring to the distance of the Kentucky Derby. “Hopefully he’s the kind of colt who could be considered one of the ones.”

Gunmetal Gray picked up 10 points on Saturday under the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the field for the Derby, to be run this year on May 4.

Gunmetal Gray, a son of Exchange Rate, has now won twice in five starts.

Coliseum was favored off a sharp debut win at Del Mar, but this was only his second start, his first around two turns, and his first against winners. He has been a handful in the mornings, and prior to his debut had not broken well in some workouts, but he behaved himself in his debut, including breaking well. He fell back on his old, bad habits on Saturday.

“Before his first race he did it, and he did it today,” said Joe Talamo, who has been aboard Coliseum for his two races and for a number of his morning drills. “Then he got rank with me. I still think he’s going to be all right.”