It's downhill for Hunt in Clocker's Corner comeback

ARCADIA, Calif. – Earlier in his career, Hunt was a specialist on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course, winning 4 of 5 starts on the unique layout in a four-month span in 2016. More recently, Hunt has excelled in two-turn races, having won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last May.

In the next six weeks, Hunt will have a chance to do both. A 7-year-old gelding, Hunt starts for the first time since August in Sunday’s $70,000 Clocker’s Corner Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. The Clocker’s Corner is designed as a prep for the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf on March 9.

“I want to sharpen him in this race,” trainer Phil D’Amato said.

The Clocker’s Corner Stakes is restricted to horses that have not won a graded stakes since July 1.

The only other graded stakes winners in the field in the last 12 months are the speedy Conquest Tsunami, who won the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on the hillside turf course last February, and Blended Citizen, who won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Polytrack at Turfway Park last March. Blended Citizen, also a Grade 3 winner on dirt at Belmont Park in the Peter Pan on May 12, has not raced since finishing last of five in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby last July.

KEY CONTENDERS

Hunt, by Dark Angel
Last 3 Beyers: 98-87-104

◗ Hunt was not a certain runner in the Clocker’s Corner until he worked five furlongs in 1:00 on the infield training track under jockey Flavien Prat on Tuesday, D’Amato said. Prat has the mount on Sunday.

“I had this race on the back burner and left it up to Prat to tell me if it was ‘go’ time,” D’Amato said. “He liked the last breeze.”

◗ Owned by Michael House, Hunt won the Siren Lure Stakes on the hillside in June 2016, and has not run on the course since a third in a division of the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes later that year.

◗ D’Amato is hoping Hunt can be patient stalking expected front-runners Conquest Tsunami and Cistron, who was fourth in the Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside on Jan. 1. Conquest Tsunami was third in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on dirt on Jan. 19.

“We can give him a nice race where there is a lot of speed to run at,” D’Amato said.

◗ Hunt was rested last summer after battling foot issues during the Del Mar summer meeting, D’Amato said.

Eddie Haskell, by Square Eddie
Last 3 Beyers: 97-94-88

◗ Eddie Haskell won optional claimers at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 23 and Dec. 1. On Nov. 23, he disputed the pace and won by 1 1/2 lengths when eligible to be claimed for $62,500. On Dec. 1, Eddie Haskell stalked the pace and won by 1 3/4 lengths when eligible to be claimed for $100,000.

◗ Trained by Mark Glatt, Eddie Haskell is winless in five starts on the hillside course.

“He’s been more effective going five-eighths than 6 1/2 down the hill,” Glatt said. “We’ll see if he’s a different horse than he was previously.”