Looch Racing acquires Imperative

Imperative, a two-time stakes winner who has earned more than $2 million, was bought by Ron Paolucci’s Loooch Racing earlier this week and is a candidate for the $400,000 Poseidon Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, according to new trainer Bob Hess Jr.

Imperative was previously owned by J K Racing and trained by Richard Baltas. Hess said Imperative, a 7-year-old gelding, arrived at his Santa Anita stable on Tuesday.

“It was done in 24 hours,” Hess said of the transaction. “It will be fun to get a race in Florida for him.”

Two weeks ago, Paolucci reached a deal with one of the owners of a slot in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream to start his stakes winner War Story in the race. Under the unusual conditions of the Pegasus, slot owners are entitled to name a back-up horse in the event the first horse is not able to start, and that back-up horse also is entitled to start in the Poseidon Stakes. In this case, that horse will be Imperative.

Imperative has won 4 of 35 starts and earned $2,002,710. He won the Big Bear Stakes at Santa Anita on Nov. 3 and was sixth in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 27 in his latest start. Last February, Imperative was beaten a nose by Hoppertunity in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita.

Hess had considered the Poseidon Stakes for Blue Tone, the winner of the $201,035 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita last Saturday. Wednesday, Hess said the 8-year-old Blue Tone will remain in California and be nominated to the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the main track on Feb. 4.

Hess said cost was a leading factor in pointing to the San Antonio instead of the Poseidon.

“We’d have to pay $35,000 to nominate and ship him there and run in the race,” he said.

The San Gabriel Stakes was scheduled for the turf course, but was moved to a sloppy and sealed main track because of rain. The race was downgraded from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3 by the American Graded Stakes Committee as a result of the surface switch.

--additional reporting by Matt Hegarty