Imperial Hint drills in slop for Vosburgh

Trainer Luis Carvajal found a break in the rain at Parx Racing on Wednesday and worked Grade 1 winner Imperial Hint a half-mile over a muddy and sealed track. Carvajal had been considering the Grade 3 De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park and the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont Park for Imperial Hint, and on Monday confirmed his top sprinter would make his next start in New York.

The $350,000 Vosburgh will be run Sept. 29. The $250,000 De Francis was originally going to be run this Saturday, but was moved to Sept. 22 due to weather concerns. Both races are six furlongs.

“There isn’t much difference in the timing now between the De Francis and the Vosburgh,” Carvajal said. “He likes both tracks, so we are going to go to New York. He handled Belmont very good when he won the True North.

“It’s a very prestigious race, and Javier is there.”

Javier Castellano has been Imperial Hint’s regular rider for more than a year. On the day of the True North in June, he suggested to Carvajal that he take Imperial Hint off the pace and save some of his energy for the stretch. The result was a neck victory over Whitmore, who has since won the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.

In his most recent start, the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga, Imperial Hint came from off the pace again to score his first Grade 1 victory by an easy 3 3/4 lengths.

Parx clocker Scott Bakos timed Imperial Hint in 47.24 seconds in his Wednesday work and caught the 5-year-old galloping out in 1:00.77. He termed the drill “handily,” meaning Imperial Hint did it easily, without need of urging.

“We were supposed to work Monday, but the track was not good,” Carvajal said. “It is still wet now, but he handled it fine. We gave him a real easy half and then let him gallop out. He did it flawlessly.

“We have one work left before the Vosburgh.”