Shivaree's speed might give him edge in Hooper Stakes

The home-court advantage and a pace situation that could play out in his favor give Gulfstream specialist Shivaree a chance to pull off a mild surprise Saturday in the Grade 3, $125,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes, the first of seven graded stakes to be run on the Pegasus World Cup card.

Performer, the beaten favorite in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last time out, figures to go favored, and Phat Man is back to defend his title in the Hooper, for 4-year-olds and up. But the eight-horse field by and large has horses who like to stalk and pounce or rally from way downtown, giving the speedy Shivaree a chance to shake loose in the one-turn mile race.

“I read it the same way,” Ralph Nicks, who trains Shivaree, said Thursday morning. “The only problem is whenever I see it that way, someone else in the race has a different idea.”

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Nicks is based at Gulfstream, where Shivaree has made 10 of his 15 career starts. Last year, Shivaree finished second to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Florida Derby when stretched out to 1 1/8 miles. His best form has been around one turn. He comes off a win in a statebred stakes going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs. This will be the third start of his form cycle.

“One thing about him is they’ll know he’s in there,” Nicks said.

Performer had a five-race win streak end in the Cigar Mile, run over a sloppy Aqueduct track. He broke from the rail in the Cigar Mile and again must try and overcome the rail in the Hooper. Video on XBTV of his work Monday in company with his Shug McGaughey-trained stablemate Code of Honor – scheduled for the Pegasus World Cup later Saturday – was impressive. He’s well capable of bouncing back.

Phat Man won the Hooper last year, taking advantage of a collapsing pace following a half-mile in 44.68 seconds. He cuts back to one turn after finishing third behind Pegasus entrant Tax and Hooper rival Eye of a Jedi going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday at Gulfstream. Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode him in the Harlan’s Holiday and last year’s Hooper, is back aboard Phat Man.

“The two turns probably just got to him, and Irad said he might’ve tried to get to Tax too soon,” his trainer, Kent Sweezey, said of the Harlan’s Holiday. “I do think he’s a better one-turn horse.”

The vastly improved 6-year-old Indimaaj makes his stakes debut in start No. 16 following a pair of strong performances in allowance races at Tampa, most recently earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

“He has very little outer wall on his hooves,” said his trainer, Jeff Engler. “We started using glue-on shoes on his front feet and he’s so much better now. He’s a completely different horse.”

Haikal is always a late threat. Dream Maker will try to fire fresh following a four-month absence. Avant Garde is seeking his seventh win in eight starts since being claimed for $10,000 by Gustavo Delgado.

– additional reporting by Marty McGee