Hogy looks sharp as ever in winning Canadian Turf Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Age has proven irrelevant in the success story of a 9-year-old gelding named Hogy. Now it seems that distance is no factor either.

Long established as a turf sprinter, Hogy stretched out beautifully over the Gulfstream Park turf when posting a 3 3/4-length victory Saturday in the 52nd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Canadian Turf at a mile.

“He’s always acted like he wants to go farther,” said Mike Maker, who has trained Hogy since claiming him on behalf of owner Michael Hui for $80,000 last August at Saratoga. “As good as he’s trained, we thought we’d give something like this a shot.”

Giving Irad Ortiz Jr. his fourth winner from the first 10 of 14 Saturday races, Hogy sat a good trip in fifth, well behind a pace contested by Conquest Sandman and Blind Ambition. Into the far turn, as the field began to bunch together, Hogy got first run on the others, angling out to open daylight leaving the eighth pole and finishing in 1:35.28 over firm going. He paid $13 to win and was given a 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Galleon Mast, the 5-2 favorite in a field of eight, rallied for second, 1 1/4 lengths before March in third.

Hogy, a Kentucky-bred by Offlee Wild, now has 19 wins and 13 seconds in 50 career starts and earnings of more than $1.3 million. His career debut was in June 2011, and since then, he has had five different trainers and eight stakes wins, including one-mile stakes wins over synthetics in the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup at Arlington and the Presque Isle Mile, both as a 4-year-old in 2013.

His only two prior attempts around two turns came back-to-back in 2013: the Presque Isle Mile, followed by an eighth-place finish in the off-the-turf Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland, where Silver Max defeated Wise Dan on Polytrack.

“Hogy is Hogy,” said Maker. “He loves his job. I’m grateful to have him in the barn.”

The $2 exacta (6-1) paid $48, the $1 trifecta (6-1-5) returned $117.70, and the 10-cent superfecta (6-1-5-2) was worth $50.84.

The clocking of the Canadian Turf was revised from what was originally posted, with no internal fractions available.