Shift to synthetic allows Air Force Cruising to turn on the jets
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When trainer Kent Sweezey claimed Air Force Cruising, a struggling maiden, for $30,000 at Churchill Downs in June, he did so with strong suspicion. It took six months to receive any validation, but when the gelding, sired by Group 1 turf winner Air Force Blue, returned in December and switched from dirt to synthetic, he burned up the track and hasn’t slowed down since.
“This horse is rocket-ship fast and he was sound,” Sweezey said. “We did a little breathing procedure on him after we claimed him and sent him down [to Florida]. When you’re fast-fast on the dirt, you can go down to a Tapeta track, especially when you’re bred for it, and racing is a little bit easier down there. He made it look easy.”
In the third start of his 4-year-old campaign, Air Force Cruising will be a solid favorite in the eighth race Friday at Gulfstream Park, a $25,000 starter allowance with a $40,000 purse at 5 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta. In his last three starts at the same distance, he blew away two claiming fields before finishing second in a tougher allowance in March.
Sweezey said the gelding’s considerable size might have cost him another front-running victory in a classier field last time out. Standing at nearly 17 hands, the trainer explained that he sometimes needs a few strides to build up speed out of the gate. In the allowance, a 16-1 longshot beat him to the lead and set blazing opening fractions before fading to last.
Sweezey’s gelding ran well to finish second that day, but he could not outkick Ms. Tart, a talented filly who had beaten male horses before and won another Gulfstream allowance next time out.
Air Force Cruising was originally supposed to travel to Keeneland after his last start, but Sweezey chose to keep him at Gulfstream after a minor setback. His hard-fought defeat last time out allowed him to remain eligible for this starter-allowance condition.
Friday’s field of eight is short on potential pacesetters, which bolsters the likely favorite’s chances. Sultan the Great, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Nader Moubarak, should break sharply and used his speed to win four straight claiming races last year. Like Air Force Cruising, he still must prove that he can win on the front end against starter allowance runners.
Neshume, a 3-year-old colt trained by Mary Eppler, will take on older horses for the first time after two sharp wins against weaker fields. In March, he won his maiden in front-running fashion in a $17,500 maiden claiming race. He was claimed that day and then claimed again by Eppler for the same price in April when he closed from fourth to win again by 4 1/4 lengths.
If the race comes down to closing kicks, 5-year-old gelding Chaplin may have the advantage. Trainer Sam Wilensky claimed him for $20,000 in March, and he came back in April to finish second ahead of Sultan the Great. Wilensky is entering him without a claiming tag for the first time since January.
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