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With four stakes victories to his name, the versatile Gigante enters the $100,000 Woodchopper with the proven upper hand over his main rival Northern Invader, having beaten that foe in two common races. With the portable rails at 9 feet on the Stall-Wilson turf course at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, a full field of twelve 3-year-olds males will contest the 39th running of the Woodchopper going about one mile.

The Woodchopper is scheduled to go off at 3:45 p.m. (all times Central) as the seventh race on the Dec. 30 program. Post time on Saturday is 12:45 p.m. for the ten-race card, which includes the $100,000 Pago Hop, the female equivalent of the Woodchopper.

Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing's Gigante began his career utilizing his natural speed to get the jump on foes, winning both the Kitten's Joy at Colonial Downs as a freshman and the Caesars at Horseshoe Indianapolis in front-running fashion. On August 12 in the Secretariat (G2) he demonstrated his tactical versatility circling the field to beat the likes of Nagirroc, Silver Knott and Woodchopper-foe Northern Invader. Last out in the Commonwealth at Churchill Downs, he stalked the leading trio and took over coming for home, earning his second win on a fast main track, his second win over Northern Invader, and his first win donning blinkers.

Drawing post 4, Gigante will receive the services of jockey Edgar Morales. If the 3-1 morning line favorite is able to hold serve it would be Asmussen's third Woodchopper title, having saddled back-to-back victors in 2007 and 2008 with Inca King and Jimmy Simms.

Lightly-race and ultra-consistent, West Point Thoroughbreds and David Ingordo's Ontario-bred Northern Invader's six-race resume includes two wins, three seconds, and a troubled-trip fifth in the Secretariat (G2) where he was backed to favoritism. When winning the Gio Ponti at Aqueduct in October, the Collected colt trained by Cherie DeVaux fought for the lead and took command after the first call before turning back a formful Shug McCaughey horse in Ohana Honor.

“It's not that he needs the lead if there is speed in front of him,” DeVaux said. “He's a big horse with a big stride, so it will just depend on the pace scenario in front of him where he ends up.”

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will climb aboard Northern Invader for the first time to break from post 7. Together, DeVaux and Hernandez have won four races from seven entries this meet.

If Wayne Davis' Deccan Prince breaks well, he'll be the one to catch. Trained by the current meet-leading conditioner Shane Wilson, all three wins by the Kingman colt have come on the turf at the Woodchopper's mile distance. And each victory came in front-running fashion.

“He's a hard-headed horse that doesn't want to be rated, doesn't want to be wrestled with,” Wilson said. “I rode some other guys and kept telling them to let him have his head, he's going to go fast, but he'll keep going, just let him go. They kept trying to get him back, and he'd throw his head up in the air and fight him. When Jose (Guerrero) came back from his collarbone fracture and he was able to ride him the last weekend of the meet here last year, I told him when they break just throw the reins at him, leave him alone, let him do his thing, and he went out there and won.”

Last out going 1 1/16 miles, Deccan Prince did his running on the lead before being caught and encountering trouble in the homestretch to finish fourth at 32-1.

“In his last race he faced older horses,” Wilson said. “We were always looking at the Woodchopper to get him in against straight 3-year-olds. It's a competitive race, but they're going to have to run him down to win it.”

Slotting into the gates in post 3, Deccan Prince will be accompanied by the current meet-leading rider, Jose Guerrero.

Al and Bill Ulwelling's Velocitor, a two-time stakes winner, will enter for trainer Gary Scherer in hopes that his synthetic form established at Woodbine translates to the Stall-Wilson turf course. Tabbed at 8-1 in the morning line, David Cohen gets the call as Scherer looks to continue his success having won five from 21 starts so far this meet.

Here is the complete field for the Woodchopper from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): 1. Velocitor (David Cohen, Gary Scherer, 8/1); 2 Winters Lion (Jamie Torres, Joe Sharp, 8/1); 3 Deccan Prince (Jose Guerrero, Shane Wilson, 10/1); 4 Gigante (Edgar Morales, Steve Asmussen, 3/1); 5 Desert Duke (Mitchell Murrill, Chris Hartman, 5/1); 6 Mor Victory (Jareth Loveberry, Jayde Gelner, 20/1); 7 Northern Invader (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux, 7/2); 8 Dapper Dude (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Eduardo Rodriguez, 20/1); 9 Gluckstadt (Emanuel Nieves, Juan Sanchez, 30/1); 10 Point Proven (Corey Lanerie, Alice Cohn, 12/1); 11 Machine Gun Man (Rey Gutierrez, Juan Sanchez, 20/1); 12 Cash Fever (Kevin Roman, Tanner Tracy, 15/1).

The post Gigante, Northern Invader Renew Rivalry Over Fair Grounds Turf Course appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A Grade 2 winner in a Tapeta sprint, Gentry Farms' Accomplished Girl is scheduled to stretch out and return to turf for Saturday's $150,000 Suwanee River (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

The Suwanee River, a mile turf stakes for fillies and mares, will be a supporting stakes on an 11-race program featuring the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a 1 1/16-mile prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), and the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 27.

Accomplished Girl broke her maiden impressively on turf but is definitely more accomplished on Tapeta. The 3-year-old daughter of Street Boss enters the Suwannee River off a front-running victory in the 6 ½-furlong Presque Isle Masters (G2) on Tapeta.

“It's hard to say that she's not better on Tapeta, but she good on turf also,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Accomplished Girl captured a July 16 optional claiming allowance over Gulfstream's all-weather surface and finished a close second on turf in a Kentucky Downs optional claiming allowance prior to her Presque Isle Masters win.

While she has shown talent on turf and all-weather surfaces, Accomplished Girl has not run beyond 6 ½ furlongs during her six-race career.

“We're stretching her out. We entered her for Sunday [in the five-furlong Abundantia], but we decided to run on Saturday, stretching out, going a mile. I feel like she can do it,” Joseph said. “She has the pedigree on her dam's side to at least get a mile. She relaxes good in her works. That's going to help. But until they do it, you never know. We're hoping she gets it, because if she gets the mile, it opens up a lot of opportunities for her.”

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard Accomplished Girl.

Joseph is also scheduled to saddle Ken Ramsey's Sister Lou Ann for the Suwannee River. The 4-year-old daughter of Frosted is coming off a second-place finish behind Sand and Seas in the $100,000 Sabal Palm Handicap at Gulfstream. A few starts earlier, the homebred filly captured the One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs.

“She won the race at Kentucky Downs, then she ran subpar at Keeneland. Her last race was set up to hopefully have her peak in this race,” Joseph said. “She's coming into this race in good order. I think she's going to run big.”

Jose Ortiz has the return mount on Sister Lou Ann.

Gold Square LLC's Full Count Felicia will make her Gulfstream debut following a fourth-place finish in the Goldikova (G2) on the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup undercard.

“She's doing great. She made the trip to California and came back, and we've taken our time getting her back into a rhythm,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “She's the kind of filly that when she's doing good, she likes to train. She's training forwardly. It seems as though she's ready to run.”

Full Count Felicia has won four of six starts since joining Russell's stable, including an 8 ½-length victory in the All Along at Laurel prior to her trip to Santa Anita for the Goldikova.

“As soon as she stepped into the barn, she was pretty straightforward,” Russell said. “She's a strong forward type training in the morning. Sometimes, with good horses, that's just how they are. You just have to keep them happy.

“She's a tough girl. For a filly, she's one of those horses that likes her job. She enjoys going to the racetrack every day.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. will fill in for regular rider Sheldon Russell, Brittany's husband.

“We're pretty busy at Laurel that day. We have a couple of live ones there,” Russell said. “You're in good hands with Irad. Honestly, she's a pretty straightforward type to ride. I just hope they get a good trip around. I think she'll run well.”

Stonestreet Stables LLC's Willakia, who finished second behind Full Count Felicia in the All Along, enters the Suwannee River off a troubled close-up fourth in the Forever Again at Aqueduct after breaking from the rail post position.

“She was a little unlucky last time. She got stuck in there,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I don't know if it cost her the race, but it definitely cost her hitting the board. She definitely would have gotten a piece of it.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who guided Motion-trained Romagna Mia to a stunning Via Borghese triumph Tuesday at Gulfstream, is scheduled to ride Willakia for the first time Saturday.

CHP Racing's Saffron Moon, who defeated Willakia in a Keeneland allowance before finishing a distant second in the Cardinal (G3) at Churchill; Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC's Walkathon, the third-place Cardinal finisher who captured the 2022 Regret (G3) at Churchill before going to the sidelines for more than a year; Susan and Jim Hill's Fast as Flight, the fourth-place finisher in the Sabal Palm who has been in the money in 11 of 16 starts; John Behrendt's Tequilera, who has won her last two starts at Kentucky Downs and Laurel; Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable's Poca Mucha, a consistent daughter of Tourist who is coming off a solid second in a Kentucky Downs optional claiming allowance; and Blue Devil Racing Stable's Messidor, a steady-running Irish-bred mare; round out the field.

The post ‘Until They Do It, You Never Know’: Accomplished Girl Stretches Out In Gulfstream’s Suwanee River appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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