Imperial Hint prevails by a neck in True North

ELMONT, N.Y. – After a disappointing run over a sloppy main track at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, Imperial Hint bounced back with a top effort to win the Grade 2 True North at Belmont Park on Friday.

Jockey Javier Castellano told trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. in the morning that he would like to ease Imperial Hint off the pace in the True North, and Carvajal agreed. The plan worked to perfection as Imperial Hint settled in fourth position early, and then was taken outside the front-runners nearing the stretch.

Recruiting Ready set the early pace in the 6 1/2-furlong race under Mike Smith while being stalked by Bobby Abu Dhabi and Westwood through an opening quarter in 21.85 seconds. On the far turn, jockey John Velazquez pulled up Westwood, who went lame in his left front leg.

Nearing the stretch after a half-mile in 44.52, Imperial Hint engaged Bobby Abu Dhabi from the outside as Recruiting Ready dropped back. At that point, Whitmore was advancing nicely from the back of the six-horse field while in hand. Always Sunshine, who was carried wide by Westwood on the turn and had to alter course inside of him, also was still in contention.

Imperial Hint began to get the best of Bobby Abu Dhabi in midstretch as Whitmore rallied up on the outside. Imperial Hint held on to win by a neck while both he and Whitmore drifted out late.

The win was reminiscent of Imperial Hint’s victory in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint last summer when Castellano took him off the early pace and then went on to win by 4 3/4 lengths.

“Usually I feel the horse is always on the lead, and I think at the sixteenth pole he always has to tough it out,” Castellano said. “I wanted him off the pace today. It was our plan. We sat right off those two horses on the lead and then let him finish.”

Imperial Hint paid $5.40 as the favorite. He was timed in 1:15.02 following six furlongs in 1:08.59. He covered his final furlong in 6.43 seconds.

It was 1 1/2 lengths back from Whitmore to Bobby Abu Dhabi in third. Always Sunshine finished fourth, 7 3/4 lengths behind him.

The victory was the third graded win of Imperial Hint’s career and first in a Grade 2. He is now 10 for 16 for Carvajal and owner Raymond Mamone. The victory boosted Imperial Hint’s earnings to $1,017,655.

Imperial Hint was sent off favored in his last start, the Grade 2 Churchill Downs, a seven-furlong race on Derby Day but weakened in the stretch over the sloppy going and finished sixth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths in an uncharacteristic performance.

Carvajal thought the track proved Imperial Hint’s undoing that day, but he was disappointed and after his charge cooled out, Caravjal left the track and watched the Derby from his hotel room.

Carvajal was confident Imperial Hint would turn in a good effort in the $250,000 True North.

“He’s a really small horse but he tries so hard,” Carvajal said. “He has a really big heart.”

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Carvajal’s stable, which is split between Monmouth Park and Parx, has grown the past two years but is still a modest size. He feels fortunate to have a horse like Imperial Hint, who capped last season with a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“I am really proud of him and happy for all the guys who have a small barn, and hope they can feel this themselves some day,” Carvajal said. “Wins like this don’t happen very often for us.”

Carvajal said Imperial Hint could run next in the Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship on July 7 or he could await Saratoga and the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.

Westwood was vanned from the track in the equine ambulance.

“He wasn’t traveling right,” Velazquez said after the race. “He kind of hit himself, so I pulled him up.”