Matrooh, Mshawish rematched in Hal's Hope
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Matrooh and Mshawish, third and fourth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile to close out their 2015 campaigns, will renew acquaintances in Saturday’s $150,000 Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Park.
A Grade 3, one-mile race for older horses, the Hal’s Hope serves as a prep for the Grade 1 Donn Handicap on Feb. 6 and will highlight Saturday’s 11-race program, which also includes the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale and Grade 3 Marshua’s River on turf.
Matrooh finished three-quarters of a length in front of Mshawish while beaten just a half-length in the Cigar Mile. Matrooh had his head in front leaving the eighth pole and dug in before succumbing grudgingly near the wire to the winner, Eclipse Award finalist Tonalist, and the runner-up, Red Vine.
“At one point in deep stretch, it looked like he had a chance to fend everyone off, and I thought it was a terrific effort,” said Chad Brown, who trains Matrooh for Shadwell Stable. “I was really proud of the way he ran. He’s training very well, has a win over the track, and I’m looking forward to running him.”
Mshawish ran on dirt for the first time in the U.S. in the Cigar Mile, and like Matrooh, he looked like he had a very good chance to win in the stretch but hung a bit near the end. But his performance was strong enough for trainer Todd Pletcher to give him another opportunity on the main track.
Valid is about as consistent as a horse can be and has shown an affinity for the local surface, having won six of his 11 starts at Gulfstream, including the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 12. He’s also accomplished at a mile, with four victories in 11 starts at the distance to go along with a fifth-place finish last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
Mr. Jordan finished third in the Harlan’s Holiday, and trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said he couldn’t wait for the Hal’s Hope, considering the way Mr. Jordan has been training since that race. Mr. Jordan set the pace to midstretch before gradually weakening to finish behind Valid and Madefromlucky in the Harlan’s Holiday, his first start since the Grade 1 Haskell four months earlier.
Grande Shores wheels back on just two weeks’ rest after finishing second behind runaway winner X Y Jet in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector here. Grande Shores has not tried a mile since finishing second, a neck behind Valid, in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper here a year ago.
Midnight Cello, a Grade 3 winner last summer at Arlington Park, rounds out the lineup.
KEY CONTENDERS
Matrooh (Last 3 Beyers: 104-105-77)
◗ Brown said he’s concerned that his horse must break from the rail out of the one-mile chute.
“The 1 post is not a great draw,” he said. “I just hope he can work out a trip from there.”
◗ Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode Matrooh in the Cigar Mile, will fly down from New York to ride him.
Mshawish (Last 3 Beyers: 102-101-103)
◗ Pletcher said a big effort on dirt in the Hal’s Hope likely would earn Mshawish a ticket to the Grade 1 Donn, even though he is the defending champion in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, run on the same day.
Valid (Last 3 Beyers: 100-98-92)
◗ He loses Javier Castellano, who will ride Mshawish, with trainer Marcus Vitali choosing the meet’s second-leading rider, Luis Saez.