General Quarters Seeks Form Reversal in Kentucky Cup

9/22/2011 10:44 PM | horseracingnation.com

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The Grade 2, nine furlong WinStar Kentucky Cup Stakes has attracted a fascinating field of eight, including former star General Quarters, turf veteran Strike Impact, and gem of consistency Baryshnikov.

Baryshnikov always runs his race and exits a string of solid efforts on turf. He was 3rd behind Turallure last time and that one returned to capture the Woodbine Mile. The Mike Maker runner excels on synthetic ground and has won multiple races at Turfway.

Workin For Hops was a hot shot 3-year-old turf performer. He has struggled on that footing this year but ran well in both Polytrack tries at Arlington. The Mike Stidham trainee looms a pace factor at the very least.

Southern California invader Shediak exits back-to-back wins over Del Mar's all-weather surface and will try to get involved late under Pat Valenzuela.

Havelock is a sharp turf sprinter stretching out and switching surfaces. He handles synthetic and a route of ground and can be used in the exotics.

A back class horse in need of a turaround is General Quarters. The '08 Blue Grass hero was up the track in a graded Polytrack route at Arlington Park last time and has not reached the winners' circle since upsetting the 2010 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

Future Prospect shoots for a four-bagger and won a local synthetic route earlier this year. He is out of the optional claiming ranks so he must prove himself from a class standpoint.

Strike Impact got good in the spring and summer on turf. The sharp 7-year-old gelding is based at Churchill Downs and is seemingly not as effective on synthetic footing.

Demarcation rounds out the field. He won a graded event at Fair Grounds earlier this year but that was a conventional dirt affair and he has never raced over the local Polytrack surface.