Hudson Landing hopes to benefit from new surroundings

After a series of near misses against some of the top handicap horses in Northern California, Hudson Landing could well benefit from new surroundings when he makes his next start at Emerald Downs.

Wright said Hudson Landing would compete next at Emerald, though not necessarily June 15 in the one-mile Budweiser Handicap. Wright said he’ll look for a race that can return Hudson Landing to the winner’s circle and help restore his confidence. In the 19 months since he captured the Grade 3 All American on the Tapeta at Golden Gate, Hudson Landing has lost 12 consecutive starts.

Most recently, Hudson Landing has given futile chase to Summer Hit, the current king of Golden Gate’s handicap division for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. In his most recent start, on Memorial Day, Hudson Landing finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Summer Hit.

Wright has done terrific work with Hudson Landing since claiming the Maria’s Mon gelding for $50,000 in February 2012 for owner Chappell Alpine Farms. Hudson Landing has since won a pair of Grade 3 events in California, and he gutted out a victory at Emerald Downs in the Mount Rainier Handicap in 2012. Overall, Hudson Landing has won 12 of 47 starts with earnings of $555,188.

“We’ll come up here and see if he can’t run well, and maybe we’ll keep him here,” Wright said of the move to Emerald Downs. “He tries hard. It’s just unfortunate that he hasn’t had a win in a while. Our intention is to try him at Emerald and get some class relief from Summer Hit. We were not able to beat that horse. He had our number every time.”

** Bonnie Jenne has been quiet through the early part of the Emerald meeting with one win from eight starters, but reinforcements are on the way. Jon Sather, who campaigned multiple-stakes winner Ladyledue at Emerald in 2008-09, recently sent more horses to the trainer from his racing operation in Kentucky.

“I just got two more horses in from Jon from Churchill Downs,” Jenne said this week. “One of them is Ladyledue’s baby, a 3-year-old who ran for $20,000 back there and got beat. And then he sent me a Pleasant Tap colt as well, a 3-year-old maiden.”