Chatterpaul Likes Recent Claim Top Surprize
A month after Naipaul Chatterpaul
claimed Mission Approved for $35,000 in June, 2010, the New York-bred
finished second by a neck to Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Man o' War; a year
later, he won the Grade 1 Manhattan.
Next Saturday at
Belmont, the trainer is hoping that Top Surprize will follow his
stablemate's path in the Grade 1, $250,000 Jamaica at 1 1/8 miles on the
grass. Having claimed the 3-year-old Pure Prize colt from Rick Dutrow,
Jr. and Vincent Scuderi for $50,000 on September 10, Chatterpaul turned
around eight days later and won the $60,000 Summing overnight stakes at
Belmont with him.
"I kind of liked his running style,"
said Chatterpaul, who trains and owns the colt. "He seemed like a nice
horse. He was doing well, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's all
about giving it a shot."
"In eight starts [prior to the claim],
he had four wins, a second and a third," said Chatterpaul. "I take my
time picking horses to claim."
Despite Mission
Approved's seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on
August 13, Chatterpaul is full speed ahead tomorrow into the Grade 1 Joe
Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, a 1 ½-mile race that also attracted
the Grade 1 winners Cape Blanco, Teaks North and Winchester.
Chatterpaul
also said the traveling took a lot out of Mission Approved. He sent him
from Belmont to Saratoga on July 31 for a five-furlong turf workout in a
blistering 57.70 seconds, then returned to Belmont before heading to
Chicago.
"Physically, he was all right... but he lost a lot of weight," the trainer said.
"I'll run with Cape Blanco anytime because I know they'll have to catch me," Chatterpaul said.