Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Contact: Jenny Kellner
DULLAHAN ODDS-ON FAVORITE IN G1
ELMONT, N.Y. – A three-time Grade 1 winner over synthetic tracks, Donegal Racing's Dullahan is the 4-5 morning-line favorite to add a Grade 1 turf score to his resume when he faces seven other 3-year-olds in Saturday's 64th running of the $400,000 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park.
Although winless in three starts on grass, the chestnut son of Even the Score is graded stakes-placed over the surface, having finished second in his 2012 debut to fellow
"This will be his first time on the turf where he's 100 percent," said trainer Dale Romans of Dullahan, who began his career on grass, finishing second going 1 1/16 miles at
Winner of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, the Grade 1 Blue Grass and the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity, Dullahan also finished third in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on dirt. With that versatility in mind, Romans is looking at a number of Breeders' Cup options next month for the colt, from the 1 ½-mile Turf to the Mile, also on turf, or even the 1 ¼ mile Classic on the main track at Santa Anita Park.
"The
Joel Rosario, aboard when Dullahan upset leading older horse Game On Dude in the Pacific Classic, retains the mount. Under high weight at 123 pounds, Dullahan will leave from post position 3.
Among Dullahan's challengers is Summer Front, who is 5-for-6 on turf, with his only loss a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Secretariat on August 18 at
Trained by Christophe Clement for Waterford Stable, the War Front colt is 2-for-2 over
"I thought [in the Secretariat], even though he finished third, he lacked a bit of racing luck," said Clement. "He was closer to the pace than I would have liked, and the race was a little bit against him."
Summer Front will carry 121 pounds, including regular rider Ramon Dominguez, as he leaves from post position 5 at 5-1 on the morning line.
Those two will have a familiar foe in Howe Great, who drew post position 7 at 6-1 on the morning line. The consistent Hat Trick colt has been off the board just once in 10 career starts, finishing fifth behind Dullahan in the Blue Grass, and most recently ran second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby.
Howe Great will be reunited in the
Lending an international flair to the
With Frankie Dettori named to ride, the Brian Meehan trainee drew post position 4 and was listed as the 4-1 second choice on the morning line.
Rounding out the field for the Jamaica, which will be run as race 9 on the 10-race card, will be Unbridled Command, who stretched his win streak to three with a victory in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga; King David, making his stakes debut after being claimed for $35,000 by Michael Maker; Shkspeare Shaliyah, most recently 10th in the Saranac, and King Kreesa, fourth in the Saranac.
The field for the Grade 1, $400,000
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | 117 | 12-1 | |||
| 2 | 112 | 20-1 | |||
| 3 | 123 | 4-5 | |||
| 4 | 118 | 4-1 | |||
| 5 | 121 | 5-1 | |||
| 6 | 114 | 30-1 | |||
| 7 | 121 | 6-1 | |||
| 8 | 116 | 20-1 |
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