By Joe Bianca
It would be tough to ask for a deeper Grade III field than the one Gulfstream put together for the GIII Appleton S. Saturday. An eight-horse group jam-packed with quality, it includes several regular faces in Grade I company, as well as two of the top 3-year-old turfers of 2015 rematching for the first time at 4.
Returning from a winter layoff is Richard Santulli's Force the Pass (Speightstown), dominant victor of the GI Belmont Derby last July 4. The chestnut subsequently finished third with trouble behind wire-to-wire winner Highland Reel (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Secretariat S. Aug. 15 before running a disappointing third at 2-5 in the GII Commonwealth Derby at Laurel Sep. 19.
Laid up since that effort, trainer Alan Goldberg says his horse didn't have anything serious wrong with him, “just a lot of little things.” John Velazquez will ride the colt for the first time Saturday.
Gunpowder Farms' Divisidero (Kitten's Joy), installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite, has consistently brought a devastating closing kick to his races since a 25-1 debut score over this course last February. He later won the GII American Turf S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard and annexed the Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont despite running wide around both turns.
No match for Force the Pass in his 3-year-old finale in the Belmont Derby, Divisidero returned with a sneaky good third behind frontrunning winner Heart to Heart (English Channel) in the GIII Canadian Turf S. over this course and distance Feb. 27. The Buff Bradley trainee was the only horse to make up significant ground in that race, running his final quarter-mile in a blistering :21.60.
“He's done very well. I think it was a good race for him to come back in and clear the rust off,” Bradley said. “He pleased us with his race and showed us he was going to be able to compete with older horses.”
Wachtel Stable and George J. Kerr's Long on Value (Value Plus) goes second off an eight-month layoff with Jose Lezcano aboard after finishing a neck in front of Divisidero when second in the Canadian Turf. The Bill Mott trainee won last year's renewal of that race with a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, the top number any in this field have run. He is also Grade I placed, having finished third in the GI Makers 46 Mile S. last spring at Keeneland.
John C. Oxley's Sky Captain (Sky Mesa) nearly pulled off a 14-1 shocker in last year's GI Turf Classic S. at Churchill before getting run down by Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt {GB}) in the final jump. He compounded that tough beat by getting disqualified to fourth for bearing out in the stretch. He was a no-show at 9-10 when next seen Nov. 15, but returned to form with a solid fourth in the GIII Tampa Bay S. Feb. 13 and has fired several bullet workouts for trainer Mark Casse in preparation for this.
Todd Pletcher's All Included (Include) was a good third at just under 15-1 in the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. Feb. 6 before finding the 1 3/8 miles of the GII Mac Diarmida a bit too far Mar. 5, fading to finish sixth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths. The Wertheimer and Frere-owned 5-year-old now cuts back to a distance at which he has three wins in four career starts. Leading rider Javier Castellano has the call.
The ultra-consistent Reporting Star (Circular Quay), winner of the GII Play the King S. last August at Woodbine, goes out for all new connections after being privately purchased by Meribelle Stables following a narrow second in the Sunshine Millions Turf S. Jan. 16. It will be the 6-year-old gelding's first start under the tutelage of trainer Brendan Walsh and he gets a rider switch to Luis Saez.
Rounding out the field are With Exultation (Kitten's Joy) and outsider Aktabantay (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).
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