BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A winner of the $65,000 Loggerhead overnight handicap at Tampa Bay Downs on April 25 last out, J J Brevan Stable’s Florida homebred Chrome Ghost is a 124-pound co-highweight in the $100,000 Big Drama Handicap at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Trained by Gerald Bennett, Chrome Ghost takes on six other 3-year-olds and older going seven furlongs, including Florida-breds Classic of Course and Pure Class.
Chrome Ghost has finished in the top three in eight of his ten starts over the last two years including a second to Florida-bred multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Damon’s Mound in the $110,000 NYRA Bets Sprint going six furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs on March 29. Three starts back, he was third in a six-furlong, $100,000 optional claiming won by graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Mad House at Tampa Bay Downs on March 6.
Chrome Ghost has won seven of 24 career starts with two seconds and five thirds with earnings of $310,020.
He is by Shaman’s Ghost out of Pink Trillium, by Unbridled’s Song and will break from post seven with Samy Camacho up. Chrome Ghost is 7-2 on the morning line.
Classic of Course, a stakes winner on the Gulfstream Park turf who took the $70,000 Awesome Banner overnight handicap on the main track there in November, has been assigned 121 pounds.
Trained and co-owned by Patrick Biancone with Amy E. Dunne, Classic of Course won the seven-and-a-half-furlong Cutler Bay on the Gulfstream Park turf in March of last year. The 4-year-old gelded son of Awesome of Course enters the Big Drama off a second-place finish to Damon’s Mound in the $100,000 FHBPA Sprint going six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream on April 25. Two starts back, Classic of Course was fourth in the NYRA Bets Sprint after finishing fifth, beaten just four-and-a-half lengths, in the Listed Silks Run sprinting five furlongs on the Guflstream Park grass in March.
Classic of Course was bred by Dunne with her husband Ciaran G. Dunne and is out of the Honor Code mare Alma Mater.
He has four wins, four seconds and four thirds in 21 career starts with earnings of $432,441.
Jonathan Ocasio has the assignment on Classic of Course from post four and they are 4-1 in the program.
Florida-bred Pure Class steps up from a last out victory against $35,000 claimers going seven furlongs at Gulfstream on May 10.
The 5-year-old son of The Big Beast out of I’mclassyandsassy is owned by Robert J. Mooney and Jeffrey Siskin and was bred in Florida by Alex and JoAnn Liblong.
He has seven wins, four seconds and three thirds in 24 starts with earnings of $352,648.
Trainer David Fawkes will give the leg up on Pure Class to Edwin Gonzalez. Pure Class has been assigned 118-pounds and will break from post six. He is 10-1 on the morning line.
Concrete Glory is the 5-2 morning line favorite and co-highweight at 124 pounds for Saffie Joseph Jr. The 7-year-old gelded son of Bodemeister won the $100,000 Pelican (Listed) at Tampa Bay Downs in February but has two fourth-place finishes since in the $150,000 Army Mule on March 18 at Gulfstream and in the $197,000 St. Matthews at Churchill Downs on April 30.
Micah Husbands will take the reins on Concrete Glory from the inside post.
Rounding out the field are Rolando with Diego Herrera riding, To the Eastside and jockey Keith Asmussen and Back Em Up has Miguel Vasquez taking the call.
Return to the June 5 issue of Wire to Wire
