Lochte stays on conservative path in Tropical Turf
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Marcus Vitali and his owners briefly toyed with the idea of sending Lochte to the Breeders’ Cup Turf following his victory Sept. 27 in the Mr. Steele Stakes at Gulfstream Park. But faced with the prospect of meeting contenders such as Golden Horn, Found, and Big Blue Kitten, it wasn’t long before a more conservative route was chosen for the Grade 1 winner, a route that will send him to the starting gate as the highweight and potential favorite Saturday in the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park West.
Lochte is one of nine older horses set to contest the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Turf, which shares top billing on Saturday’s 10-race program with its filly counterpart, the Grade 3 My Charmer Handicap. Lochte will face a field that includes the Grade 2-placed All Included, the multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Kharafa, and the South American Group 3 winner Take the Stand.
The decision to bypass the Breeders’ Cup already has paid dividends, as Lochte rallied to a convincing and popular 3 3/4-length triumph in a nine-furlong overnight stakes Oct. 25 at Gulfstream Park West. The win was the fourth in 12 starts this season for the 5-year-old, whose shining hour came when he upset the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf in February 2014.
“We were tempted to run in the Breeders’ Cup after his win at Gulfstream Park, but only briefly,” said Vitali. “Obviously, the competition was going to be very tough, and the timing wasn’t exactly right either, so we decided to give him another easier race, get him some confidence, and the gamble paid off when he won the stakes here last month. This is the next logical spot as we wait for Gulfstream to open, although it’s not an easy race by any means.”
All Included finished an even fifth, beaten 2 1/4 lengths, for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker at Belmont prior to shipping south for the winter. Five weeks earlier, All Included became graded stakes-placed when third behind Ironicus in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga.
Kharafa rarely runs a bad race, whether facing statebreds or on the rare occasions when he ventures into open company, as he did when capturing the Elkwood Stakes this summer at Monmouth Park at the expense of Lochte and Inchcape, who also is among the starters in the Tropical Turf. Kharafa finished second, beaten a head by arch rival Lubash, while defending his title in the Mohawk Stakes at Belmont on Oct. 24.
Key contenders
Lochte (Last 3 Beyers: 100-101-97)
* He owns a win and a second in three starts over the course.
“We know he likes this course,” said Vitali. “The main thing with turf racing is trip, trip, trip. If you run into a brick wall, you’ve got to recover and try again, and I think in many of his bad races, the trip got him beat.”
All Included (Last 3 Beyers: 100-103-96)
* He reunites with favorite rider Javier Castellano for the first time since the spring. All Included is perfect in three starts with Castellano aboard.
Kharafa (Last 3 Beyers: 96-94-81)
* Although he defeated Lochte at Monmouth this summer, he received seven pounds that afternoon. He’ll get just three pounds while stretching out an extra sixteenth of a mile in Saturday’s rematch.
Inchcape (Last 3 Beyers: 96-97-99)
* He finished just two necks behind Kharafa following a stretch-long duel in the Elkwood but has started just once in the interim, finishing fourth after setting a contested pace Aug. 23 in the Grade 3 Cliff Hanger at Monmouth.