Hooper (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
GP- One Mile on the Dirt
For Four Year Olds and Upward
February 6, 2016

Last year, Texas Sky Hawk finished second to Chrystal Wizard in this very stake.   The rematch between the two was covered in the preview, but it seemed fair to think that it would be Chrystal Wizard who was on the better form in the race.  Texas Sky Hawk, after all, hadn’t win since December of 2014, although he had been consistently getting in the top three while Chrystal Wizard had picked up a few wins.   It did rain down here, and the turf races that also went today at GP actually went on soft ground.  The grounds crew kept up with the main track fairly well, and it would only be downgraded to good.  That rain may have benefitted Texas Sky Hawk a little bit, but may have just simply been the break he needed to get the job done.    It is the first win in the stake for both the trainer, Aer Stables, and for jockey J Rosario. The time of the race was 1:36.65.  It’s impossible to really stack that time up with past editions of the Hooper, since prior to 2015 the race was run at a mile and eighth, and at CRC to boot, and last year we had a fast track.  Here’s how the race was run:

1st- 1- Texas Sky Hawk (6/1)- Todays race winner did not start particularly well for Aer Stables, and would at one point be last of them all down the backstretch.  As they approached the turn, he began to move by a few of them that had also been racing in the back, and within the turn he plenty of room to run along the rail.  He took advantage of this to a point, but on exit of the turn, J Rosario did very well to read that Im Too Confident was setting up his past of Chrystal Wizard and that it was looking as though it would happen quickly.  Texas Sky Hawk stayed in the shadow of Im Too Confident for a moment, and then when some space was available between the two of them, Texas Sky Hawk was all over it.  It was not a surprise to see him get by Chrystal Wizard, but the relative ease in which he got by Im Too Confident was quite impressive.   He would win while pulling away!  Congratulations to all of the connections!  Texas Sky Hawk is a five year old horse by Texas Grey Wolf (Black Moon bloodline) and out of the autogen Sky Hawk.  He was bred in Pennsylvania as a 2nd quarter two year old by Joseph Racing, where he raced a little while before being sold to Aer Stables in a private sale exactly two years prior to this race date (Feb 6, 2014).  The sale price $22.500.  Congrats again!

2nd- 4- Im Too Confident (9/2)- The Mb Stables entry did not shoot out of the gate like the top two would, but he did start well, and seemed to be in a very good spot in the backstretch, just a couple lengths from the lead.  This is where he would stay until the midpoint of the turn where he began to eat away gradually at Chrystal Wizard’s lead.   At the top of the stretch, J R Velazquez had him to the outside of the pacesetter, and had the pass complete.  Unfortunately, Texas Sky Hawk was essentially drafting him through the hole, and once that one was able to get to the inside, he was just not going to be denied.  That should not take away from the run of Im Too Confident here, as it is a strong second.

3rd- 2- Milestone (5/1)- Got off to a start near the back of the pack for Mcl Stables, with the only horse behind him early being the eventual race winner.  This is where he would stay for the majority of the race.  Approaching the exit of the turn, he would look to make his move at an almost synchronized time with Texas Sky Hawk.  The problem for Milestone is that Texas Sky Hawk had much more of a clear lane to do this with.  The best he could do was follow him through, and this would enable him to get up just in time for third.

4th- 7- Chrystal Wizard (6/1)- The defending Hooper champion began this race differently then he would in 2015, and went aggressively to the lead for trainer Maxmillion Farm, and he would open up by two while on the backstretch, setting the opening quarter in :23.46, and half in :47.10.  They began to cut away at his lead during the turn and trouble seemed to be looming when Im Too Confident went by and the closers were making their large push.  Chrystal Wizard did well to hang in there only until the very late strides, where he was passed for 3rd.

5th- 6- Moving Cloud (9/1)- Started midpack for trainer Sanny Village, about three lengths from the leader for much of the backstretch run.  He would be one of the first horses that looked to make a move in the turn, and he would emerge with an ideal lane for the stretch if he would have been able to make it stick.   He would not be able to do so, and earns his third consecutive fifth place finish for his trainer.

6th- 9- Congo Jones (13/1)- As the two to his immediate inside shot out of the gate, Congo Jones would not be interested in going along with them, and started near the back for Oval Express Farms.  On exit of the turn, K Desormeaux asked his longshot for some more run, and he was rewarded with a strong initial push.  This required a significant outside move, but Congo Jones made a valiant bid and would gamely hang in there.

7th- 5- Great Buzz (8/1)- The Buzzword gelding got off to an average start for Gdp Inc, in the middle of the pack, running alongside Moving Cloud.  He would respond with a move forward at about the same time as Morning Cloud as well and the two of them both really looked to be in a good position at the top of the stretch.  Unfortunately for the trainer, he was not able to make any kind of advance, and would actually see a few get by in the stretch.

8th- 3- Louisiana Flash (42/1)- The longest shot on the board from Wolfs Den was content to be near the back early.  As others who had been near the back began to make their moves, Louisiana Flash wanted to do the same thing, but he was completely boxed in at the top of the stretch.  He never really did have a clear lane at any point in the stretch, but it’s possible that if he was full of energy that he could have forced his way by Great Buzz, and he could not.

9th- 8- Trench Admiral (3/1)- We were notified by the trainer, Grimley, that J J Castellano was indeed the chosen rider for the reigning BC Sprint Champion, and that they were not stiffed by E Trujillo.  No word, though, on whether or not Trujillo couldn’t keep from smiling after seeing this result.   He would start well out of the gate, but would eventually be held back a little from the pacesetting Chrystal Wizard.  Ran well for most of the race, but this was always going to be about the final two furlongs today.  In a race that saw quite a few come off the pace, Trench Admiral was not able to keep any of them behind him as they went by on both sides.

Track: Good
Time: :23²  :47   1:11¹  1:36³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 40.70
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 2 Paid 70.70

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES