Grade I stakes winners Dr. Zic and Hooh
Why are prominent in a field of eight distaffers entered Thursday for Sunday’s
Grade III Chicago Handicap. The $100,000 race will be run at seven
furlongs over Polytrack and will serve as the holiday weekend on-track
headliner at northwest suburban oval.
Dr. Zic, who races for Derby Lane Farm
plus Tom, Jim & Mariette Farrell and trainer Joan Scott, is the 121-pound
co-highweight after amassing a record of five wins from 15 starts including the
2010 edition of the Grade I Madison at seven furlongs over Keeneland’s
Polytrack surface. The 5-year-old Milwaukee Brew mare ran third in her
defense of that title and more recently finished sixth in the Grade III Hendrie
at Woodbine on May 14. E. T. Baird has the mount
Sunday.
The Estate of Gail Gee, Mark Hoffman
& Earl Trostrud’s Hooh Why, winner of the 2009 Grade I Ashland Stakes at
Keeneland as a 3-year-old, has shown an affinity for Arlington’s all-weather
surface with two wins, a second and a third in four trips over the course
including a nose victory in a money allowance here two weeks ago. The
seven-time victress is trained by Mike Reavis. The daughter of Cloud
Hopping will carry 119 pounds and have the services of Jozbin Santana, the
meet’s leading rider thorough Wednesday.
The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Tidal Pool,
owned by Westrock Stables, will share highweight with Dr. Zic. The
daughter of Yankee Gentleman is graded stakes placed having finished third last
time out in the Grade II Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont
Park. Earlier this
year, the 4-year-old filly won the $100,000 Red Bud Stakes at Oaklawn
Park. Eusebio Razo
Jr. has been named.
John Gunther, Eurowest Bloodstock
Services and Tony Chedrauoi’s Devil by Design makes her 2011 debut for trainer
Bill Mott. A 5-year-old Medaglia d’Oro mare has turned in a string of
solid works for her return to the races including a 48.60 half-mile drill at
Churchill Downs on June 28. The winner of five of 13 starts has been
assigned 118 pounds and will be ridden Sunday by Corey Nakatani.
Others in the field for the Chicago
Handicap (with jockey and weight listed) are: Nancy Vanier’s Home’s the Best
(Eduardo Perez, 117 pounds); Jared Hughes’ Hot Hot Mama (James Graham, 116);
Peter Redekop’s La Rocca (Seth Martinez, 116); and Feel the Thunder Stable’s
Lookn Even Finer (Rosie Napravnik, 114).
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