Hudson Landing to go in San Francisco Mile for fourth straight year

For the fourth year in a row, Hudson Landing will enter the starting gate for Saturday’s $100,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields. Owner Jared Chappell and trainer Blaine Wright hope the 7-year-old Maria’s Mon gelding can wake up the echoes.

In 2012, after claiming Hudson Landing for $50,000 from trainer Bill Morey Jr. and the JC Racing Stable two months earlier, Chappell watched Hudson Landing hold off the favored Jeranimo to win by a half-length. The victory was Wright’s first in a graded stakes. It was just as special for Chappell.

“The memory of that whole day is such a special one,” Chappell said. “We had 30 or 40 people there, about 15 for the first time. Later on, we made a video for my son’s birthday and asked what was the best thing that happened the past year, and he said, ‘Hudson Landing winning the San Francisco Mile.’ ”

Chappell had actually made a bid to purchase Hudson Landing two years earlier, before he won the Alcatraz Stakes as a 3-year-old. And the previous summer, he tried to claim Hudson Landing at Del Mar, first for $32,000, then for $40,000, but lost the shake to Jeff Bonde and Bob Hess Jr.

Two years ago, the San Francisco Mile wasn’t really on Wright or Chappell’s radar when they made the claim, but two straight victories in $62,500 optional claimers earned Hudson Landing a chance to run.

“The San Francisco Mile was like our Kentucky Derby,” he said at the time.

He had to earn his way into this year’s race as well. Hudson Landing went winless in 2013, although he hit the board in five of eight starts, including three stakes. His final start was a total disaster. He was last the whole way in a four-horse field and wound up losing by 9 1/4 lengths.

Wright and Chappell knew a vacation was in order, but there was serious consideration to retiring the horse.

“I was going to bring him home,” Chappell said. “That last outing, he didn’t have the same look in his eye. He’d done so well. He was going to be my riding horse.”

“For a couple weeks, we thought we’d retire him,” said Wright. But veterinarians made several suggestions, and Wright and Chappell thought it was worth a shot to try to bring Hudson Landing back as a 7-year-old.

In his 2014 debut, Hudson Landing ran in a $62,500 optional claimer March 30.

“We needed to see him run first or second,” Wright said.

Hudson Landing ran second to Pepnic, one of the sharpest horses on the grounds, finishing well with just enough trouble to make his connections wonder, “What if?”

“I hadn’t seen him in a month, and it looked like he’d put on 50 pounds of muscle,” Chappell said. “He had that dark, deep-red coloring again.”

Wright isn’t doing much differently with his star, but there are some changes in routine.

“For one thing, he’s older,” Wright said. “We just try to do what we think is best for him. Maybe I was training him too hard last year. He’s training better now. I’ve altered his schedule and am not breezing him as long.”

Hudson Landing has had two works since his comeback, a three-furlong bullet in 36.20 seconds April 13 and a half-mile drill in 48.60 that was fourth-best of 36 last Saturday.

“It was a pretty decent breeze,” Wright said. “It looks like he’s ready to go. We’ll keep our fingers cross and hope we prepared him right.”

Hudson Landing will be facing Pepnic again, as well as Pepper Crown, who was third in the March 30 race.

The probable favorite is Summer Hit, who lost last year’s San Francisco Mile by a neck, then won Golden Gate’s other two graded races. He’ll be joined by stablemates Longview Drive and Tribal Jewel.

China Girl Lover and Horizontalyspeakin are set to come north.

Pepnic will be running for the first time in the colors of David P. Taylor Jr., who claimed him March 30. Trainer Tim McCanna, who has a high win percentage off a claim, is looking forward to the race and a rematch with Summer Hit, who beat Pepnic in a March 15 race.

“I think he’s ready to roll,” McCanna said. “I try to get horses going in good form and try not to change things too much. The only difference for him is he’s training at Golden Gate instead of Pleasanton. Maybe not having to ship will help, but it hasn’t hurt him in the past.”

First race for 2-year-olds

Two-year-olds will run at Golden Gate Fields for the first time this year Friday, when five fillies and two males compete in a two-furlong race.

The fastest works in the field belong to The One We Stole, a Tannersmyman filly trained by Salvador Naranjo who had a two-furlong gate drill in 23.40 seconds and a one-furlong move in 11.60 at Pleasanton. She’s the full sister of a winner.

Little Miss Dancer, the first runner for her sire, Forest Command, is a Greg James trainee who has both two- and three-furlong bullets at Golden Gate Fields.

Nightime Olympics, who has a bullet work, is a half-sibling to Siberian Winter, who had a win and two seconds in four starts as a 2-year-old. Wackett, who ships north for his debut, is a full sister of 2-year-old winner Spring Dream.

◗ Golden Gate Fields will resume offering rolling doubles beginning Friday. The track eliminated rolling doubles at the start of the meet and offered only three double wagers on each card in the first two races, the fourth and fifth races, and the final two races on the card. Doubles will now be offered on every race from the first through the next-to-last race each day. The takeout will be 18 percent.