Super Chow tries to rebound in Carry Back Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Super Chow will seek to rebound from the first poor performance of his career when returning to Gulfstream Park to face six other 3-year-olds in Saturday’s $75,000 Carry Back. The field for the seven-furlong stakes is formidable and includes the promising Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained duo of the undefeated Swirvin and recent runaway maiden winner Mr. Peeks.

Super Chow, a four-time stakes winner, finished off the board for the first time in nine lifetime starts when a tiring fifth in the Grade 3 Chick Lang last month at Pimlico. Super Chow had posted six victories in his eight previous outings, his only two setbacks to that point having come against graded stakes company when third in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and second to General Jim in the Grade 3 Swale here Feb. 4.

Super Chow starts locally for the first time since registering a popular and one-sided 5 1/4-length triumph in the six-furlong Hutcheson on March 18. Super Chow has yet to win beyond that distance, but was beaten only a length in the seven-furlong Swale while earning a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure in defeat.

Super Chow, whose first five wins came in gate-to-wire fashion, showed a new dimension when rallying from a couple of lengths off the pace in the Hutcheson. That strategy should come in handy Saturday with so much early speed signed on. Super Chow is well drawn for the task at hand, and will break from the outside post with Emisael Jaramillo getting the call from trainer Jorge Delgado.

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Swirvin has won his only two starts, having captured his maiden in game fashion in his lone race at 2 here last December before launching his 3-year-old campaign with a very impressive and well graded 2 1/4-length allowance tally on April 15 for which he was awarded an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He is a very workmanlike horse who just does what he has to,” Joseph said. “The first time out he looked completely beaten but managed to get the job done, although the number for the race came back very slow. The second race he made a nice jump number-wise. He’s going to have to move forward again, but I expect a good race out of him and I think he’s capable of winning.”

Joseph was still uncertain as to Mr. Peeks’s status for the Carry Back with a first-level allowance race written for the coming week also an option. Purchased privately by the C2 Racing Stable after finishing second in a well graded maiden race on March 12, Mr. Peeks returned just three weeks later for his new connections in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, finishing far back after prompting a swift pace. He was able to rebound nicely off that performance, registering an easy six-length maiden win going six furlongs when returned to maiden company on May 13.

“We didn’t buy him with the intent to run in the Florida Derby but ultimately took a shot. It didn’t work out, and now we’re back to reality with him,” Joseph said. “I thought he won well when breaking his maiden, he made a big move from the three-eighths to eighth pole to put the race to bed, and he worked very well last week prepping for this race if we decide to run.”

Swirvin and Mr. Peeks have been on or with the lead in all of their previous starts, although Joseph believes both are capable of sitting back off the pace if need be in the Carry Back.

Khozeiress and Zydeceaux both figure to prompt the early running from their inside posts, having drawn 1 and 2, respectively. Khozeiress has won three of his last four starts, including a seven-furlong allowance race with a career-best 86 Beyer on April 28. Zydeceaux is a two-time stakes winner who is the most accomplished member of the field at the distance with three of his four lifetime tallies having come at seven-eighths.

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