Imperial Hornet going for ninth straight win

The most successful horse in California this year is not a fancy stakes runner bound for Del Mar next month.

Imperial Hornet, a 4-year-old gelding based at Pleasanton, is unbeaten in six starts this year and has won his last eight races dating to December.

Imperial Hornet has his seventh start of the year in an allowance race at the Alameda county fair in Pleasanton on Sunday, a notable jump in class from his recent starts.

“He’s my big guy,” trainer Sam Calvario said on Friday.

Through Thursday, Imperial Hornet trailed Epicurean and Tennessee Moon as the winningest horses this year. Epicurean has won seven starts in Ohio, while Tennessee Moon won seven races in Louisiana and Nebraska. Neither is unbeaten this year, however.

Calvario claimed Imperial Hornet for $12,500 for Mary Tucker on Feb. 3 in the gelding’s 2024 debut. Calvario meant to claim Imperial Hornet for $7,000 on Dec. 31, the second win of the streak, but said the claim was voided when he made a spelling error on the claim slip.

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For Calvario, Imperial Hornet won five starter-allowance races at Golden Gate Fields from mid-February to mid-May – four races on the synthetic track and one on turf in his last start, at five furlongs on May 12.

“When I ran last time on the turf, people said, ‘This horse won’t run on turf,’ ” Calvario said.

Imperial Hornet stalked the pace, took the lead in the stretch and won by 1 1/2 lengths.

“He will run on anything,” Calvario said. “He has run beautiful races.”

Calvario said Imperial Hornet starts in Sunday’s allowance race for a simple reason. “I don’t have any options,” he said.

Imperial Hornet, who will be ridden by Assael Espinoza, drew the rail in a field of six that includes Halo Rando and Bob’s Blue Moon.

Halo Rando closed with a wide rally to finish third in an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on May 12. Bob’s Blue Moon has not raced in 12 months, since a win in an allowance race at Pleasanton. He has worked quickly for his comeback for trainer Steve Sherman.

The allowance race will be Imperial Hornet’s first start on dirt since a seventh-place finish in a $16,000 claimer for non-winners of two at Los Alamitos last September.

Imperial Hornet has won on dirt, in a $50,000 claimer for California-bred maidens at Del Mar last August when trained by Leonard Powell.

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