Hal's Hope pivotal race for Mshawish

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dirt or grass? Donn Handicap or Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap? Those are the questions trainer Todd Pletcher is hoping to get answered here Saturday when he sends out Mshawish against a strong field in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope.

Mshawish was considered strictly a turf specialist until he turned some heads while training on dirt at Keeneland prior to his fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. A couple of more promising drills over the main track at Belmont Park earned Mshawish his first chance to compete over the main track in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile. At the eighth pole, Pletcher’s decision looked like sheer genius, as Mshawish appeared to be heading to victory. But the son of Medaglia d’Oro could not sustain his momentum and finished fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner, Tonalist.

“We want to give him another try on the dirt, and this race will clarify which direction we’re going in later this year,” said Pletcher. “I thought his Cigar Mile was very good. At the eighth pole, I thought he was going to win, and he just flattened out a little bit. We’ll see how he likes the dirt here, after which we’ll make a decision of whether to go to the Donn or the Gulfstream Park Turf.”

The Donn, on dirt, and the Gulfstream Park Turf are both Grade 1 races at 1 1/8 miles here Feb. 6.

Under Javier Castellano, Mshawish won the Gulfstream Park Turf here last winter by a nose over Slumber. He also won the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale by a neck here four weeks before the Gulfstream Park Turf.

“Obviously, he loves this turf course, but at the same time, he’s trained so well on the dirt we finally had to give it a try, and we’ll give him a second chance to see how he likes the main track here,” said Pletcher. “We’re also hoping to go back to Dubai with him, where he was third in the turf race there last year.”

Mshawish, who earned nearly $1.2 million in 2014, was beaten five lengths by runaway winner Solow after pressing the pace in the $6 million Dubai Turf.

The Hal’s Hope will rematch the third- and fourth-place finishers from the Cigar Mile, Matrooh and Mshawish. Matrooh returns locally for the first time since making his U.S. debut here last winter with a convincing 2 3/4-length allowance win.

The field for the one-mile Hal’s Hope also includes Valid, a winner of three of his last four starts, including the Harlan’s Holiday here last month; Mr. Jordan, a tiring third after setting the pace to midstretch in the Harlan’s Holiday in his first start since the Haskell last August; and Grande Shores, who wheels back three weeks after his second-place finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector.

◗ Also on Saturday’s 11-race program is the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale, with Pletcher trying to defend his title vacated by Mshawish with All Included. He’ll be part of a large lineup that also includes Fredericksburg, Heart to Heart, Key to Power, Lochte, Lukes Alley, Money Talker, Sky Flight, Slip By, Takeover Target, and War Correspondent.

◗ Pletcher also is hoping to get Sandiva back on track when she returns to her favorite course for Saturday’s Grade 3 Marshua’s River. Sandiva won the Tropical Park Oaks and the Grade 3 Suwannee River here last winter but went winless in four subsequent starts, including a third-place finish in the Grade 3 My Charmer Handicap across town at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 21. Sandiva had been idle for nearly six months going into the My Charmer.

“I thought she ran well in her first start off the bench,” Pletcher said. “She hung a little bit the last part, and I expect her to move forward having that race under her belt.”