Veteran Hogy enjoys added ground in Gulfstream's Canadian Turf

Michael Hui’s Hogy, a durable 9-year-old millionaire gelding, surged away from seven younger rivals through the stretch to capture the $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The 52nd running of the Canadian Turf, a mile turf race older horses, was one of nine stakes (eight graded) worth $1 .5 million in purses on a 14-race program headlined by the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2).

“It was great," winning trainer Mike Maker said. "There was a strong pace up front and Irad saved all the ground, tipped him out, and he came roaring home. At his age, to get his 19th win in 50 starts, it’s just incredible. I kept asking [owner] Mike [Hui], ‘I’d sure like to stretch him out.’ There was really no sprint and the five-eighths wasn’t ideal for him last time here so we wanted to give it a shot.”

A multiple stakes winner at sprint distances, Hogy successfully stretched out around two turns Saturday to register his 19th career victory by 3 ¾ lengths while giving jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his fourth victory of the afternoon.

Hogy ($13) rated kindly behind a hotly contested pace set by Conquest Sandman and pressed by Blind Ambition. The son of Offlee Wild saved ground before slipping to the outside at the top of the stretch and drawing away powerfully to win impressively. Galleon Mast, the 5-2 favorite ridden by Luis Saez, rallied to finish second after encountering traffic at the top of the stretch, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of March and jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

A winner of the Sept. 9 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G3) after being claimed for $80,000 out of his previous start at Saratoga, Hogy ran a mile over a firm turf in 1:35.28.

“[Brother and jockey] Jose [Ortiz] rode him before and he told me he wants to relax," said Irad Ortiz, Jr.. "He’s an older horse and he knows what he’s doing. I just wanted to let him break and he’ll relax, and he did. At the three-eighths pole he was picking it up on his own. He knows what he’s doing and he came running.”