Improving Eight Town faces salty group

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch has had high hopes for Eight Town since he launched his career this summer at Saratoga. Lynch will get a better idea how high that ceiling might be when he sends the lightly raced 3-year-old out against a hard-knocking group of more seasoned, second-level optional-claiming rivals going seven furlongs in Thursday’s $51,000 main event at Gulfstream Park.

Eight Town was bet to 3-1 only to encounter an eventful trip and finish far back when launching his career Aug. 5 at Saratoga. But he’s been perfect ever since, graduating seven weeks later at Belmont Park and then overcoming a less-than-alert start to capture an entry-level allowance race Oct. 25 at Keeneland. Eight Town is by Speightstown and a half-brother to Essence Hit Man, a multiple Grade 3 winner of more than $1.4 million.

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“I think it’s going to be a good class test for him the way the race is written with the open 50 condition,” said Lynch, who trains Eight Town for owners Susan and Jim Hill. “There are some solid old hard knockers in there. He acts like a nice horse in the making, I just hope he’s up to the test. I’m looking forward to running him to see where we’re at with him. The lack of experience is my main concern.”

Among the old pros Eight Town will have to contend with Thursday is Abounding Legacy, a six-time winner locally who has been freshened since a second-place finish in the Alabama Jack Stakes here Oct. 1.

“He’s been at Gulfstream for four years now, he runs well here, so I just gave him a little freshening rather than run him over at Gulfstream Park West the past couple of months,” trainer Ralph Nicks said. “This is the right spot for him. It’s his level. But he’s turning 6 next month, so I’m just hoping he hasn’t lost a step.

Abounding Legacy is one of five members of the field who’ll compete under a $50,000 claiming tag along with Piloting, Catholic Cowboy, Saucy Don, and Griff.

Piloting makes his first start since being transferred to trainer Michael Yates’s barn following a fifth-place finish over the Gulfstream Park West turf course Oct. 19. Piloting, who has had plenty of stakes experience, is winless in seven tries versus stiffer company in 2017.

Catholic Cowboy will be making only his second start this season but is a stakes winner locally, having defeated statebred rivals around two turns in the Old Hickory during the winter of 2016 for trainer Nick Zito.

Vencedor has never been better, having registered a victory and two seconds in his last three starts while posting a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 90 in his most recent outing. But all those efforts came at Gulfstream Park West. The 3-year-old son of Dialed In is winless in a dozen tries over the main track at Gulfstream Park.

In addition to Eight Town on Thursday, Lynch said he’s got some promising 2-year-olds ready to run locally in the weeks ahead while he gives stable stars Heart to Heart and Oscar Performance a break after returning from the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. Among the juveniles Lynch is high on is Treasure Hymn, a daughter of Street Sense who finished third in her debut earlier this fall at Keeneland.

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“Heart to Heart and Oscar Performance are back under tack at Palm Meadows and hopefully we’ll be able to give them both at least one race here this winter,” Lynch said.

Heart to Heart, 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, has lost just once in four starts over the local turf course and is the two-time defending winner of the Grade 3 Canadian Turf.

Three-time Grade 1 winner Oscar Performance finished ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He has never started at Gulfstream Park.