Full Field Set for Da Hoss

A competitive field of fourteen is set to go in the 11^th running of the $50,000 Da Hoss Stakes for three year olds and up at one mile this Saturday at Colonial Downs.

Leading the field with an impressive $564,656 in earnings is the Graham Motion-trained Cherokee Artist. Having finished in the money in twelve of twenty lifetime starts, Cherokee Artist has not won since he took the $250,000 Presque Isle Downs Mile in September of 2009. However, he has faced competitive fields in several Grade I and Grade II races, with his best runs coming in the Gr. III Hanship Cup Handicap at Arlington Park and the Gr. III Canadian Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Baltimore Bob is back in the field for a second try, having finished fifth in last year’s running of the race.  The John Secor-trained horse most recently finished third in two Grade III races and took the Henry Clark Stakes at Pimlico by a ½ length. His last start, the Gr. II Dixie Stakes, resulted in a fifth place finish after he ran willingly through the stretch.

Although winless since August of last year, the Earnie Oare-trained Pick Six has earned over $300,000 lifetime. Having run in the Gr. I Santa Anita Handicap and finished second in both the Diliberto Memorial Handicap and the Gr. II Mervin Munoz Handicap at the Fair Grounds, Pick Six appears to add class to the Da Hoss field.

Timeless Fashion, a gelding who has finished off the board in three of fifteen starts, also looks to add another stakes victory to his resume. The Thomas Drury, Jr.-trained gelding has won several stakes, including the Dust Commander, Independence Day, Prairie Bayou, and Tejano Run Stakes. He has earned over $270,000 lifetime.

Another starter with a $270,000 lifetime bankroll is Vanquisher, who has finished out of the money only once in four starts this year. He most took third in the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes at the Fair Grounds and the Turf Classic at Tampa Bay.

Colonial Downs fans may be familiar with another potential starter, Rockaby Bay, who won the 2009 running of the $50,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes at the New Kent oval. Trained by 2009 leading conditioner Hamilton Smith, Rockaby Bay’s two starts this year were both in the money, with a third place in the Henry Clark Stakes at Pimlico and a second in an allowance race at Delaware. He has won three times and placed once in four starts at Colonial.

Another starter familiar to local fans is Frisky Thunder, who ran fourth in last year’s Da Hoss Stakes. The race was his only out of the money finish at Colonial in eight starts, having won and placed in both the ’08 and ’09 John D Marsh and the ’08 and ’09 Daniel Van Clief Stakes.

Despite the Odds, trained by Michael Trombetta, is looking to take his first win since last year’s Gr. III Hill Prince at Belmont Park. The four year old colt most recently finished second in the Long Branch and Jersey Derby at Monmouth, while also finishing fourth in the Gr. I King’s Bishop at Saratoga last summer.

Ferris Allen-trained Dubai Review looks for his first stakes win in the Da Hoss after coming up short in the Princeton Stakes at the Meadowlands. The four year old colt has never finished out of the money at Colonial Downs.

Matthew Moran’s Sarto, who has earned $132,433 lifetime, has one stakes win on his resume since winning last year’s Find Handicap at Laurel Park. He has most recently finished third in the Jennings Handicap and ran fourth in the Native Dancer at Laurel Park before running an uncharacteristic last in this year’s John B. Campbell Handicap.

Target Sighted also has hopes for the Da Hoss Stakes. After breaking his maiden at Penn National, the Jessica Campitelli-trained gelding took both the Humphrey S. Finney and Maryland Million Turf before finishing fourth in the Find and Jennings Handicaps. He has won three of six lifetime starts.

The talented fourteen horse field goes to post in the tenth race of eleven on Saturday, June 12. First post time is 12:55 PM.