Hong Kong Harry will need absolute best to win wide-open Eddie Read
Hong Kong Harry may have enough difficulty beating stablemates such as Cathkin Peak and Cash Equity in Sunday’s Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar, never mind runners such as Beyond Brilliant, Homer Screen, and Tango Tango Tango who are not trained by Phil D’Amato.
The $250,000 Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf is an open race dominated, at least on the overnight, by four runners trained by D’Amato.
Of the quartet, Hong Kong Harry has the splashiest recent form, having won the Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf on June 19 at Santa Anita in his stakes debut. A winner of 7 of 10 starts in Great Britain and California, Hong Kong Harry ran the best race of his career in the American Stakes and will need to do so again to win a highly competitive running of the Read.
Hong Kong Harry is unbeaten in three starts in California since arriving from England, a streak that includes two allowance races at 1 1/8 miles on turf in March and April.
“He’s rolling them in a row right now,” D’Amato said of the winning streak.
Hong Kong Harry closed from fourth in a field of 10 to win the American Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Homer Screen. In the Read, Hong Kong Harry is likely to be fairly close to the front in pursuit of the highly talented pacesetter Beyond Brilliant.
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Hong Kong Harry was within a length of the front in his allowance race win on April 16, and may need for jockey Ramon Vazquez to employ that strategy.
“He’s tactical,” D’Amato said of Hong Kong Harry.
Cathkin Peak, winner of an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf in his 2022 debut on June 18 at Santa Anita, will be making his first appearance in a stakes since a third behind Beyond Brilliant in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby last November.
“He has a chance to go up the ladder,” D’Amato said of Cathkin Peak.
The D’Amato-trained Masteroffoxhounds, a troubled third behind stablemate Count Again in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf May 30, and Cash Equity, winner of an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles on May 22, also have attractive form.
Beyond Brilliant, trained by John Shirreffs, won his first stakes in the Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf and his most recent start in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf April 30 at Santa Anita. Beyond Brilliant will be everyone’s target in the Read.
Tango Tango Tango, second in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes on May 21 at Pimlico in his latest start, is another runner likely to be tracking the pace. Trained by Jack Sisterson, Tango Tango Tango won consecutive allowance races on turf at Gulfstream Park and Belmont Park earlier in the spring.
A wintertime break has boosted the career of Tango Tango Tango, who tends to race as a stalker.
“He’s really filled into his frame,” Sisterson said. “He’s improved with each race, and I think he’s still improving.
“We do have speed, but we won’t be on the lead. Our better style is to have a target.”
The Read drew a field of 12, but will have a safety limit of 11 runners. There could be a scratch. Trainer Michael McCarthy said Friday he was not sure whether There Goes Harvard, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on dirt on May 30, would run in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on dirt or the Read.
The withdrawal of There Goes Harvard would allow the McCarthy-trained Master Piece to join the field. Last summer, Master Piece was a fast-closing second in the Del Mar Handicap.
Any sort of pace would boost the chances of Cash Equity, who was third in three minor stakes in France last year and has the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf Sept. 3 as a goal. D’Amato expressed concern Friday that the Read distance would be too short for Cash Equity.
“I think he’ll come running late,” D’Amato said. “It will be a prep.”