Voodoo Storm is Glyshaw's "Jewel"
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After claiming Voodoo Storm for Hoosier Daddy’s Stable in August, trainer Tim Glyshaw quickly determined that the $25,000 paid for the son of Storm Cat was money well spent.
“He looked like he was a pretty quality horse, and there isn’t much
available in Kentucky for $25,000,” Glyshaw said. “The only negative
thing I saw was that he didn’t have any allowance conditions left –
that’s why we started him for open $50,000 (claimer) at Churchill.”
Glyshaw didn’t have any reservations that the 5-year-old runner would
be competitive in his first start for his new connections; he was just
concerned that it might have been the last start for his new
connections. Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s reputation for claiming horses,
particularly with the Claiming Crown looming, preceded them.
“We had him long enough for two weeks to know that he was better than
he had been showing. I was just praying that the Ramseys wouldn’t claim
him, because that happens quite a bit,” Glyshaw said.
After finishing second at Ellis Park in that race, Voodoo Storm
returned to a relieved Glyshaw’s barn and, two starts later, will
compete in event that the Ramseys have dominated in recent years. Voodoo
Storm has been entered for the $200,000 Jewel, one of eight races in
Saturday’s $1 million Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park.
Although he was also nominated for the $125,000 Emerald, a turf race,
Voodoo Storm is scheduled for a Jewel clash with Bernie the Maestro, who
provided the Ramseys with a victory in the Rapid Transit last year at
Gulfstream, where they won four of seven Claiming Crown events.
“I told the owner, ‘Why do we want to change things now?’ This purse is
bigger, and going into the race, at least in my mind, I think it has to
be us and Bernie the Maestro as the favorites,” Glyshaw said. “I think
it’s going to be a nice race between those two. But I’m not throwing
anyone out.”
Following his runner-up finish at Ellis Park, Voodoo Storm came back to
romp to victory in an allowance race and the $130,000 Mountaineer Mile
at Mountaineer Park.
“To be honest, in that prep at Mountaineer, even though he got a 99
Beyer (speed figure), I wasn’t sure who he was running against. I don’t
think the competition was much,” Glyshaw said. “But when he ran in a
stake and did the same thing again and won by even more and ran 99
again, I thought that was what he was.”
Voodoo Storm, who had won a pair of turf races for Hall of Fame trainer
Shug McGaughey earlier in his career, takes very much after his sire
Storm Cat. Like many offspring of Storm Cat, the Kentucky-bred horse can
get a little hot and unruly prior to his races.
“He’s a little quirky. He gets riled up in the post parade; he gets
riled up in the paddock,; he’s always sweating. If you’re a handicapper
watching him in the paddock, you wouldn’t bet him because he’s washed
out. He was washed out at Mountaineer when it was 30 degrees,” Glyshaw
said. “That’s just him.”
Deshawn Parker, who was aboard for his two recent wins, has the return mount on Voodoo Storm.
Glyshaw kicked off last year’s Claiming Crown at Gulfstream by saddling
Tiban for a relatively fortuitous half-length victory in the Express.
Although Tiban was bumped and steadied during the early going of the
six-furlong sprint, he benefited by another rider misjudging the finish
line and standing up before the race was over.
Grip Hands Back on Gulfstream Turf in Emerald
Grip Hands, who has won three of his last four starts entering
Saturday’s $125,000 Emerald, is sharp form. The 5-year-old gelded son of
Giant’s Causeway’s victories came on synthetic surfaces, but trainer
Graham Motion expects him to be able to transfer his solid recent form
to the Gulfstream turf course.
“It’s possible that he’s a synthetic specialist, but I’ve always found
that synthetic horses seem to handle grass as well, nine times out of
10,” Motion said. “I think it’s more of a coincidence that his best
races have been on synthetic surfaces and not grass.”
Grips Hands has been victorious once on grass, showing promise with a 2
¾-length victory over the Gulfstream turf on Dec. 3, 2011.
The West Point Thoroughbreds’ gelding will seek his third straight
victory, having captured a $25,000 claiming race over Presque Isle
Downs’ Tapeta surface in August and run off with a Keeneland $32,000
claiming race over Polytrack by nine lengths in October.
“He’s always been a horse that’s worked very well in the morning. He’s a
very aggressive horse, hence his running style. He tends to be close to
the pace,” Motion said. “He’s put a string of decent races together.
He’s a horse that seems to run well fresh, which is why we decided not
to run him between Keeneland and now.”
Edgar Prado will ride Grip Hands.
Walder Prepares Three for Claiming Crown
Peter Walder, who finished among the top 10 trainers last winter at
Gulfstream in wins, is preparing three contenders for Saturday's $1
million Claiming Crown – Toh's Grey Cat in the $110,000 Iron Horse at 1
1/16 miles, Loveyouallthetime in the $110,000 Rapid Transit at seven
furlongs, and Edie in the $125,000 Tiara over a 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Toh's Grey Cat, a 6-year-old gelded son of D'wildcat, was claimed at
Gulfstream Sept. 2 for a $7,500 tag. Walder brought Toh's Grey Cat back
six weeks later for a victory in a starter optional claimer at Calder.
“We claimed him just for the Claiming Crown,” Walder said. “He worked
(Saturday) in 1:00 2/5 and he did it well, so we're looking for a good
effort from him. He really is one of those horses who seems to be
getting better with age.”
Loveyouallthetime was claimed by Walder in July for $10,000. The
6-year-old gelding has since won three of his four races for Walder.
Edie is being shipped to Walder from New York by owner Island Wind
Racing. The 5-year-old daughter of Eddington has placed in six of nine
turf starts.
“I think the Claiming Crown is a great idea,” said Walder, who's saddled three horses previously in the series. “It's nice to have it in your backyard, and Gulfstream does a great job with it. I'm looking forward to a big day of racing.”
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