Profit Option is upset of the day

MIAMI - On a day full of upsets, Profit Option pulled off the biggest surprise by rallying from last to outfinish Deeliteful Irving by a half- length in the $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap* (click here for chart), feature race on Saturday's Grand Slam II program at Calder.

The 12-race Grand Slam II card drew a crowd of 12,084 and set a track record for combined mutuel handle of $9,461,604.

Profit Option's triumph followed victories by Krisada ($18.60) in the La Prevoyante Handicap, Vague Memory ($22.40) in the Chaposa Springs Handicap, and Kiss a Native ($8) in the Fred W. Hooper Handicap, and completed a Grand Slam pick four that returned $17,521 for a $1 ticket. Profit Option paid $39.

What made Profit Option's victory even more remarkable was the fact that he rallied from last and eight wide off a very slow pace to run down Deeliteful Irving in the closing strides. Deeliteful Irving also rallied from well back to wrest control near the sixteenth marker before succumbing to the winner near the wire. Eltawaasul, who set fractions of 25.54 seconds, 51.69, and 1:16.59 for the opening six furlongs of the 1 1/2-mile turf race, finished a tiring third.

Honor Glide, the 117-pound highweight and 5-2 favorite, saved ground but failed to muster a closing response and finished a disappointing 10th in a field of 12.

Profit Option, a 6-year-old son of Alleged, covered the distance in 2:27.95 over a firm course under jockey Mark Guidry. His time was more than a full second slower than Krisada's final clocking winning in the La Prevoyante for fillies and mares at the same distance on the same course earlier in the day.

"I wasn't surprised he won," said Kenneth Hoffman, who trains Profit Option for Conway Hoffman and Team Canonie Stable. "He's a mile and a half horse who has had bad gate problems. But the gate crew did a hell of a job and he was a perfect gentleman loading today."

Hoffman said he was a bit concerned when Profit Option was lagging so far back off such a slow pace but had all the confidence in the world in his rider.

"I know Mark knows exactly where to place a horse when he's riding," he said. "He did a masterful job."

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