Latch the Hatch will be put to the test by older, open-company rivals
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Latch the Hatch, a 3-year-old gelding trained by Joe Orseno, will take on older horses in open company for the first time in a $57,000 allowance at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. It’s a new test for the improving Florida-bred runner, but he has faced tougher before and seems prepared for the 6 1/2-furlong distance.
“I think keeping him one turn and sprinting is fine,” Orseno said. “I’ve always been a believer that if a horse can get six furlongs, he’ll get 6 1/2 or seven.”
When people point out that a horse is coming out of statebred company, it’s almost always a knock, but there are few conditions in the country that could have prepared Latch the Hatch better than his Floridian trial by fire. After a debut maiden victory in October, his next four starts between November and March came against a star-studded gauntlet. He finished behind undefeated juvenile star Rated by Merit, future Kentucky Derby runner Neoequos, local stakes contender Rookie Card, and three-time turf stakes winner Tank.
While facing these tougher runners, Latch the Hatch always seemed to be trying something new. Orseno, and co-owners Breeze Easy LLC and Robert Cotran, entered him in everything from a turf route to a sloppy dirt sprint in the span of four months. His sire, Curlin’s Honor, was a highly versatile runner, so the connections only had one way to find out what the gelding preferred.
“Going on the stallion, which [Breeze Easy LLC] raced, we thought he might want to go long,” Orseno said. “I tried to stretch him out and try some different surfaces, but once we figured it out and got him in a routine, he’s really turned a corner.”
When the competition finally began to soften at Gulfstream late in the spring, Orseno limited the gelding’s scope to dirt sprints and he came alive. In a six-furlong race in May, he took down older horses in a statebred allowance by 5 1/2 lengths. Back against 3-year-olds last month, Latch the Hatch made his first start in open company at 5 1/2 furlongs and went straight to the lead, kicking away to a 4 1/4-length victory in an allowance. The back-to-back victories by open lengths were overdue for a runner who had been plugging away throughout the winter.
Latch the Hatch will try and put everything together on Sunday. The field of seven is evenly matched, but Orseno’s gelding stands out as a key contender.
Swirvin, a 5-year-old horse trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., will make his 14th start in a career constantly interrupted by layoffs. The stop-start contender has never managed to run four straight races without a break and most recently finished fifth in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint in February.
Beastly Speed, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Bobby Dibona, has taken five straight cracks at this allowance condition since March without a victory. His last three starts were at a mile, but his most recent races at seven furlongs suggest that cutting back could improve his chances.
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