Walsh Likes Late Bloomer Strike One
Strike One is set to take a giant step up in class in Saturday’s $100,000 Hal’s Hope, but the late-developing 5-year-old has taken huge strides forward in recent starts. The son of Street Cry, who began his 2013 season with a maiden victory at Churchill Downs on May 4, finished off his campaign with back-to-back allowance victories at Churchill.
“Everything has come together for him the last couple months. I brought him down here with this race in mind and said, ‘If he’s doing real good, I’ll run him. If not, I’ll back off,’” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “He’s working super, so it’s worth giving it a shot.”
Strike One’s early career has been interrupted frequently with physical issues.
“It was just a bunch of small things – immaturity more than anything, stuff that’s caused by immaturity. His owner’s been fantastic and has let me be patient with him. We’ve always thought he had talent. It’s just the last three months that he’s turn inside-out and everything has fallen into place,” Walsh said. “Everything’s come together for him.”
Strike One didn’t race until June of his 3-year-old season, which was halted after three starts before returning the next year to win at first asking. “He was never in training at 2 and he came to me at 3. I always thought he had a ton of talent. The first time we ran him, he ran OK, but then we just couldn’t get him right. We gave him more time off and brought him down here last spring and we managed to get him going right,” said Walsh, who is stabled at Palm Meadows. Corey Lanerie, who has been aboard Strike One for all three of his victories, has the return mount in the Hal’s Hope, in which he is set to clash with defending champion Csaba, the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 entered in the one-turn mile.
Howe Great Seeks Return to Winner’s Circle in Fort Lauderdale
For only the second time since earning the lone graded-stakes victory of his career, Howe Great returns to Gulfstream Park looking to rejuvenate his form in Saturday’s $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2).
A 5-year-old son of Japanese-bred Hat Trick, Howe Great won four of his first five lifetime starts, including three straight on Gulfstream’s turf course. Former trainer Graham Motion saddled him for back-to-back stakes wins in the 2012 Kitten’s Joy and Palm Beach (G2).
Now trained by Rick Mettee for Team Valor International, Howe Great has won only twice since, including the 2012 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park, but has placed in seven graded stakes. He finished seventh of 10 in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream last winter.
“He tries hard every time,” Mettee said. “He’s run well on the turf previously here. He’s a stakes winner over the course, so we think we’ll get a good race out of him again Saturday. That’s what we’re hoping. It would be a nice race to win.”
Howe Great went 1-for-8 last year, but was second in four Grade 3 stakes: the Poker, the Oceanport and Knickerbocker handicaps, and the Cliff Hanger, the latter to Fort Lauderdale program favorite Summer Front.
“We know it’s a tough race. Summer Front is going in there, and he on his best day is better than us on our best day. It’s just that simple,” Mettee said. “[Howe Great] has been freshened up a little bit, and worked real well here. We expect a good race out of him on Saturday.”
In last start, Howe Great was seventh, beaten only four lengths by Imagining in the Red Smith Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct on Nov. 16. He has been based at Palm Meadows since.
“We’re just going to see how he runs and then we’ll make a decision whether we go on with him and try to run him all winter here, or whether we give him a bit of a break,” Mettee said. “It’s a long year and there’s plenty of these middle-distance grass races. It’s just a question of being in the right one at the right time. Hopefully, Saturday will be our time.”