Top Contenders for Hal's Hope Handicap

by Bodog Racebook | Jan 3 2011

This Saturday, Jan. 8 marks the first weekend of racing of Gulfstream Park's winter/spring season and the highlight of the card is Bodog's Race of the Week: the $100,000 Gr. 3 Hal's Hope Handicap. Rule, Morning Line and Tackleberry are among the frontrunners for the 1-mile race. Read all about the top contenders for this Gulfstream Park race here.

Unraced since March 2010 when he came in third in the Gr. 1 Florida Derby, Rule is going into the Hal's Hope Handicap off a near 10-month layoff. The 4-year-old colt, a son of Roman Ruler trained by Todd Pletcher for Winstar Farms, was a contender for the 2010 Kentucky Derby but was pulled from the lineup in the weeks leading up to the race. Prior to the Florida Derby, he had won four in a row, including the Gr. 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 13. Rule earned $791,700 from 7 starts in 2010 with a record of 4-1-2; a recent 5-furlong training session at Palm Meadows on Jan. 2 was timed in 1:00.90.

Morning Line will be making his first start since being defeated by a head in the Gr. 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs. A son of Tiznow, Morning Line was a late-bloomer as a 3-year-old, breaking his maiden at Monmouth Park on June 27 and winning an allowance race there on Aug. 21. He won his first graded stakes race – the Gr. 2 Pennsylvania Derby – at Philadelphia Park a month later before his Breeders' Cup near miss. Trained by Nick Zito for Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable, the 4-year-old colt has earned a career $852,650 and is 7-3-3-0. His most recent work, a 4-furlong breeze at Palm Meadows Training Center, was timed in 49.60 on Jan. 1.

Taking his four-race win streak on the road for the first time is Tackleberry, a 4-year-old gelded son of Montbrook. Owned and trained by Luis Olivares, Tackleberry raced exclusively at Calder Race Course as a 3-year-old. He will be going into the Hal's Hope Stakes off a victory in the Gr. 3 Fred W. Hooper Handicap, a 1 1/8 mile race on Dec. 11. His other victories include the Jack Dudley Sprint Handicap at 6 furlongs on Nov. 13 and an allowance optional claimer at 1 mile on Nov. 6. He worked a bullet 4 furlongs on Dec. 31 at Calder Race Course, timed in 48.40 and will be looking to build on his 8-5-2-0 season and $207,225 in earnings.

Also expected are Imperial Council, Soaring Empire, Dream Maestro, Hear Ye Hear Ye and Caixa Eletronica.

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