Giant Run Takes Shot at First Stakes Victory in Cutler Bay
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After debuting with a pair of dirt starts last summer, Robert Baker and William Mack’s Giant Run has found a home on the grass. On Saturday, the sophomore son of Giant’s Causeway takes another shot at his first stakes victory in the $75,000 Cutler Bay at Gulfstream Park.
The inaugural running of the one-mile Cutler Bay for 3-year-olds is one of two grass stakes on the 12-race program, along with the $75,000 Sanibel Island for 3-year-old fillies, also at one mile.
Trained by Tom Albertrani, Giant Run has made three of his six lifetime starts on the grass, with a win and two seconds. He broke his maiden on his fifth try Jan. 2 to open his 2016 campaign and came back to run a solid second beaten less than a length in the Palm Beach (G3) Feb. 27, both at Gulfstream.
Giant Run was off the board in his first two tries on dirt, then finished second in his turf debut last October at Belmont Park. He was entered in a grass maiden event at Gulfstream on Dec. 5, opening day of the Championship Meet, but faded to fifth as the favorite after being pressed on the lead when the race was moved to the main track.
“I ran him on the dirt at the beginning and then I put him on the grass and he ran really big. I came back here and the race came off the turf and that was his only really poor run. He went back on the turf and broke his maiden and came back in the Palm Beach. His form is pretty solid apart from his two dirt races,” Albertrani said. “The first thing you want to naturally try them on the dirt and see how they do, but since we made the switch to the turf it definitely looks like that’s where he wants to be.”
Giant Run will be cutting back to a mile after three straight tries at 1 1/16 miles in the Cutler Bay, where he drew post four and will be ridden by Joe Bravo, aboard for the first time in the Palm Beach. All eight horses will carry 116 pounds.
“I don’t think a sixteenth of a mile will make much difference to him. He looks like he might even be better going a little shorter. He handled this course last time and I would expect the same type of a run out of him,” Albertrani said. “He’s doing really well and he came out of the Palm Beach very well. He had a nice work the other day and we’re ready to go.”
Also exiting the Palm Beach is John Grossi’s Racing Corp.’s Ousby, who finished a nose behind Giant Run in third after losing ground early when bumped at the start. Nik Juarez, up for the Palm Beach, gets the return call from post six.
“He came out of the race good,” trainer Marcus Vitali said. “Last time the plan was to put him up close but he got jostled around leaving there so Nik decided to take him back a little bit and let him settle and he responded to that. Now we know he’s rateable. We’ll see how it unfolds, but that’s the direction we’re heading. It definitely helps a trainer to decide strategy.”
Claimed out of maiden victory Dec. 19 at Gulfstream, Ousby showed speed his first start for Vitali, a starter optional claimer Feb. 15, and again when beaten a neck in the Sage of Monticello starter stakes 12 days later. Both races came at 7 ½ furlongs.
“He got beat a neck in the Presidents Day race and we wanted to try him in a graded stakes. We stretched him out to a mile and a sixteenth and he got beat less than a length,” Vitali said. “He’s doing good, this little horse.”
Rounding out the Cutler Bay field are Cave Johnson, a maiden winner Jan. 6 at Gulfstream who was off the board in the Palm Beach; Highland Sky, fourth in the Pilgrim (G3) last fall making his first start since rallying for sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Oct. 30; Gulfstream maiden winners Abbot and Highly Prized; Duffle Bag, fifth in the Dania Beach (G3) and Texas Glitter this winter at Gulfstream; and Applicator.
Source: Gulfstream Park
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