Hometown Bound takes Turfway Prevue in stakes debut
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Hometown Bound remained unbeaten in his brief career with a dominant 1 1/4-length victory as the favorite in Saturday night's $123,750 Turfway Prevue for 3-year-olds sprinting at the epynomous Kentucky track.
Hometown Bound ($2.90), a Mitole colt, was moving from dirt to Tapeta for his stakes debut for Colts Neck Stables and trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. He won his debut on Nov. 8 at Laurel Park, sitting in second before pouncing to dominate by three lengths on a muddy, sealed track.
Saturday night, Hometown Bound, with Victor Carrasco retaining the mount, used his speed early, establishing a two-length command through a brisk opening quarter of 22.85 seconds, and then relaxing as he was unchallenged through the half in 46.72 seconds. Shipmate, who had been stalking in second, moved up on his hip into the stretch, but Carrasco kept his mount to task, and Hometown Bound kicked clear again.
He stopped the clock in 1:18.27 for the 6 1/2 furlongs, and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 76. He had posted an 86 in his debut victory, the top number of any entrant in the Prevue field.
Trendsetter, last in the field of five early, rallied to be second by a neck over Blessed Warrior.
The connections of Hometown Bound - whose sire was a champion sprinter who has produced quick horses, and whose dam was a stakes winner at a mile on turf - will now have to ponder whether to stretch him out as Turfway's stakes series for 3-year-olds continues. Two of the past three Prevue winners have advanced to the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, this year on Feb. 21; the 1 1/16-mile race awards points toward the Kentucky Derby on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis. Two of the past three Prevue winners attempted to stretch out in the Battaglia. Scoobie Quando finished second in 2023, while Coming in Hot finished sixth last year.
The Battaglia is the local prep toward the Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 21, awarding Derby points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. But there are other lucrative options for 3-year-olds on that day’s marquee card. Those who want to cut back in distance will have the $250,000 Animal Kingdom, while those who haven’t progressed to graded level have the $250,000 Rushaway at 1 1/16 miles.
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