Itsinthepost, Hunt renew rivalry in Del Mar's Eddie Read
There was a three-race series from late summer into the fall of last year in which Itsinthepost and Hunt battled to what, in boxing terms, would be called a draw.
It started in the Del Mar Handicap on August 19, when Phil D’Amato-trained Hunt, who had earlier won the Eddie Read, prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Jeff Mullins-trained Itsinthepost. D’Amato won the Del Mar training title and Hunt was named the top grass horse.
Six weeks later the rivalry was renewed in the John Henry Turf Cup at Santa Anita with Itsinthepost turning the tables on Hunt by a head in another 1-2 finish.
Then came the $4 million Breeders Cup Turf on November 4, in which Talismanic upheld a tradition of European import victories while Itsinthepost finished seventh and Hunt 13th.
Apart for the last eight months, they’ll be together again for Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes, the first open grass event of the summer season and often a determiner of the meeting’s turf champion.
Hunt’s only 2018 start produced a hard-earned neck victory in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita in May. Itsinthepost started his 2018 campaign in January and has four wins, all in Grade 2 stakes, in five starts. The 6-year-old, French-bred gelding’s only loss was a third place result when shipped to Keeneland for the Elkhorn Stakes in April.
Itsinthepost shortens to the Read’s 1 1/8-mile distance from four straight assignments at 1 ½ or 1 ¼ miles while Hunt, the defending Read champion, stretches out from a mile. The morning line of oddsmaker Russ Hudak has Itsinthepost a narrow 5-2 favorite over 3-1 Hunt. But Mullins cites a key obstacle for his horse to overcome.
“The distance is not perfect for him, it’s way shorter than he wants to run,” Mullins said. “It’s basically a stepping stone to the next race (the Del Mar Handicap on August 18). But it’s hard to keep him in the barn, so we’re going to run him and get ready for the next one."
A son of American Post, Itsinthepost has career earnings of more than $1.2 million, breaking the seven-figure mark with $505,000 in earnings this year. He has won four of six races at the Read distance in his career.
“It’s hard not to say good things about him,” Mullins said. “His record speaks for itself. Any time a horse can stay in good form that long is pretty impressive. I’ve trained some very nice horses and he’s right up there with any of them. It’s all about now, right? And he’s the ‘now’ horse.”
The field from the rail: True Valour (Jamie Spencer, 15-1), Next Shares (Rafael Bejarano, 8-1), Flamboyant (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Bowies Hero (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Sharp Samurai (Gary Stevens, 7-2), Catapult (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Hunt (Flavien Prat, 3-1), Multiplier (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Itsinthepost (Tyler Baze, 5-2), Prime Attraction (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1) and Fashion Business (Joe Talamo, 15-1).