Walder settles on Cory Gal for Hurricane Bertie

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Peter Walder considered running Cory Gal and Liza Star in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, but he feared one might cancel out the other.

“They’re both speed horses,” Walder said early this week, “and unless I can get a couple of riders to figure out how all that would work, I’ll probably just run one.”

Hurricane Bertie entries were to be drawn Wednesday afternoon, and by mid-morning, Walder had decided he most likely will saddle only Cory Gal in the $100,000 weekend highlight for filly-mare sprinters.

“I might enter both, but Luis Saez is riding whoever we run,” he said.

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Capping a terrific 2020-21 Gulfstream championship meet by winning the Hurricane Bertie would be icing on the proverbial cake for Walder, who compiled a nifty seven-race win streak here last month and entered this week among the meet’s top 10 trainers with a record of 15 for 57. Cory Gal, a wickedly speedy 5-year-old mare with six wins from her last nine starts, figures as the one to catch in a short lineup also expected to include Pacific Gale, Royal Meghan, Saguaro Row, and Sound Machine.

The Hurricane Bertie has been run at a variety of sprint distances since its 2001 inaugural. The last four runnings were held at seven furlongs, but Gulfstream officials have cut it back ever so slightly to 6 1/2 furlongs, which was its distance for most prior renewals.

Frank’s Rockette, the most highly regarded of 12 nominees, is being withheld from the Hurricane Bertie in favor of the $250,000 Carousel on April 10 at Oaklawn Park.

Also on tap for Saturday is the $75,000 Silks Run for older turf sprinters.

◗ Nominations aren’t due until Sunday for the Florida Derby and its supporting events, but already a handful of prospects are confirmed for the main event on March 27, the last major date of the four-month championship meet.

Greatest Honour, winner of the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth, is by far the leading contender in the $750,000 Florida Derby, with his known challengers to date being Collaborate, Known Agenda, Soup and Sandwich, and Papetu.

Nine other stakes, five of them graded, will be run on Florida Derby Day, including the Gulfstream Oaks, Pan American, and Orchid.

◗ Hog Creek Hustle is returning to the care of trainer Vickie Foley when pointing to the April 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland after the ownership group in the 5-year-old horse had him in training in recent weeks at Palm Meadows with Danny Gargan. A Grade 1 winner at 3, Hog Creek Hustle had been considered for the Feb. 27 Gulfstream Mile and the March 27 Godolphin Mile before taking a pass on both.