Rampoldi Plan goes longer in rescheduled Steinman Hurdle

The complexion of the inaugural Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly Steinman Hurdle Handicap changed significantly with an 11-day postponement. Abaan, the presumptive favorite, did not re-enter the race, while two new players joined the field for the 2 3/8-mile hurdle over National fences rescheduled for Thursday at Aqueduct.

Originally scheduled for June 9 at Saratoga, the Steinman was canceled that day due to heavy rains that forced all other scheduled flat turf races to be run on dirt.

Abaan, a winner of 4 of 5 jump races since being transferred from the flat, likely would have been the favorite. Trainer Kate Dolan is based in South Carolina and said she didn’t want to ship back home and then ship a second time to New York, so she has opted to wait to run Abaan in the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick at Saratoga on July 17.

That defection could leave Rampoldi Plan, Awakened, and Freddy Flintshire vying for favoritism in the eight-horse field. Those three were among the original entrants for the Steinman. L’Imperator, trained by Arch Kingsley, and Ziggle Pops, who gives trainer Jack Fisher a third entrant in this race, were new names to the field when the race was redrawn Saturday.

Rampoldi Plan, trained by Leslie Young, is coming off a 13-1 upset victory in the Grade 1 Commonwealth Cup going 2 1/8 miles on May 4 at Great Meadow, where he defeated four horses who are in this field. Prior to that, Rampoldi Plan was beaten a neck by his Young-trained stablemate High Definition in an allowance race at Middleburg. High Definition was a multiple Group 1-placed runner on the flat in Europe and was actually the favorite in the 2021 Irish Derby.

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Young said in that allowance race Rampoldi Plan “never stopped. . . . High Definition is a very good horse. That was a very good allowance race.”

Rampoldi Plan will be trying 2 3/8 miles for the first time in the Steinman.

“You never know until you try; even though he’s an America-bred, Hard Spuns will go three-plus miles,” Young said. ”If I didn’t think he was right and ready, we wouldn’t make the trip to New York.”

Awakened, the 158-pound highweight, is a two-time winner at 2 3/8 miles, including a victory in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard last summer at Saratoga. In two starts this year, he finished behind his stablemate Snap Decision in the Temple Gwathmey Hurdle at Middleburg and was fourth, beaten 14 1/4 lengths by Rampoldi Plan, as the favorite in the Commonwealth Cup.

Awakened is saddled by Fisher, also the trainer of Gordon’s Jet, who unseated his rider in each of his last two starts, and Ziggle Pops, who dominated a 2 3/4-mile overnight handicap at Percy Warner in May.

Trainer Keri Brion entered back her pair of Freddy Flintshire and Jimmy P. Freddy Flintshire has not run in 11 months, but he did get a point-to-point race, akin to a practice race over flat, before this. Jimmy P was second to Awakened in last year’s Sheppard.

L’Imperator, third in the Commonwealth, finished a solid second to Merry Maker in the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory run at Aqueduct last September.

The Steinman will go as the first of nine races on a card that begins at 1:05 p.m.

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