Hopeful Treasure ($38) finds success in N.Y. with Fall Highweight
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Last year, Hopeful Treasure made a couple of trips from his Mid-Atlantic base to New York without success. On Sunday, his connections decided to take another shot on this circuit, and this time they got the money with Hopeful Treasure overtaking the pacesetting Chateau and holding off Green Light Go to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap by a head at Aqueduct.
Green Light Go was second by 3 1/2 lengths over Chateau. Wendell Fong was fourth, followed by War Tocsin, Sir Alfred James, Smooth B, and Rough Entry.
Hopeful Treasure is based at Parx Racing with trainer Michael Catalano Jr. On Friday morning, Parx announced it would not allow horses to ship out - and other jurisdictions including NYRA were not allowing those horses to ship in - due to a suspected case of equine herpesvirus in a horse stabled at Parx. By Friday afternoon, tests on the suspected horse were negative and horses based at Parx were permitted to ship out of town.
“I’m a believer if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Catalano said. “When that happened, I didn’t even sweat it. It’s either a sign that he should go or a sign that he shouldn’t go.”
Under Mychel Sanchez, Hopeful Treasure took up the role of chaser as Chateau, under Kendrick Carmouche, popped out of the gate and opened up a two-length advantage after running a half-mile 45.66 seconds. Sanchez, who had ridden the colt to victory in an allowance at Parx on Nov. 3, said he felt he always had the front-runner measured.
“He broke awesome and got in good position early in the race,” Sanchez said. “I was always confident. I knew I could go by [Chateau] any time. I was only concerned if anyone else was going to close better than him, but he got it done.”
Green Light Go, who was returning to the New York circuit for the first time since he finished second to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Champagne in 2019, was closing under Dylan Davis, but could not get there.
“He just deserves more ground, I think that’s what it is,” Davis said. “He’s back in form and I think you’re going to see more of him.”
Hopeful Treasure, who carried 128 pounds - three less than Chateau and Sir Alfred James - covered the six furlongs in 1:11.19 and returned $38.
Catalano credited owner Tony Como for wanting to run in the Fall Highweight. Last year, the horse finished fourth in the Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont and eighth in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga when trained by Michael Pino.
“Tony said let’s give this horse a shot,” said Catalano, who got the horse prior to 2021. “I said ‘Well, there is an allowance race for him.’ Tony’s had the confidence in him from Day One. They ran him in a couple of good races in his past and he just needed time to mature into himself a little bit and grow.”