BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Graded stakes-placed three times including in his last race when second in the Grade 3 Blame, Florida-bred Cagliostro tries for his first stakes victory Sunday in the $300,000 Hanshin presented by the Japan Racing Association. The one-mile Hanshin has drawn a large field of 11 4-year-olds and older.
Cagliostro will shorten up to eight furlongs after finishing just a length shy of winner Highland Falls in the mile-and-one-eighth Blame at Churchill Downs on June 1. In one other start this year, the Cherie DeVaux-trained son of Upstart won a first condition allowance race going a mile-and-an-eighth at Keeneland on April 19.
Last year, Cagliostro had four starts against stakes company with his best finish coming when second to Il Miracolo in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Parx on Aug. 22. He was also third in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby won by Verifying with Raise Cain second at the same distance on July 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He will face Raise Cain again Sunday.
Cagliostro is out of A Rosefor Isabelle, by Hard Spun and was bred in Florida by Lance Colwell and Janice Clark. He is owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s Wathnan Racing, who purchased him privately prior to the Blame.
Cagliostro has won two of 10 career starts with four seconds and a third with earnings of $272,988.
He was a $385,000 purchase by DeVaux at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sale Spring Sale where he was consigned by Two Oaks Equine.
Cagliostro is 6-1 on the morning line and will be ridden from post nine by Flavien Prat.
Zozo also looks to improve off of a graded stakes-placed effort in his last race.
Trained by Brad Cox for Barry and Joni Butzow, Zozos was most recently third in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes won by Gun Pilot going seven furlongs on May 4.
By Munnings out of Papa’s Forest, by Forestry, Zozos is a graded stakes-winner over the track with a victory in the Grade 3 Ack Ack going a mile on Sept. 30. He also the defending Hanshin champion with a three-length score in last year’s edition.
Zozos has seven wins with a second and a third in 13 starts with earnings of $1,007,688.
Florent Geroux will ride Zozos from post three and they are 3-1 in the program.
Charge It, a homebred for Mandy Hill’s Whisper Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla., is the 7-2 second choice after finishing third to Messier in the Grade 3 Westchester going a mile during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 3. In eight starts last year, Charge It won two including the Grade 2 Suburban at going 10 furlongs at Belmont Park in July.
Charge It is by Tapit and has earned $872,600 from four wins, three second and a third in 14 lifetime races.
He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post seven.
Also set for the Hanshin are Tumbarumba, who will be ridden by Luis Saez; Frosted Grace with Joel Rosario aboard, Jose Ortiz rides Injunction, Best Actor and jockey Frankie Dettori, Extra Anejo will have Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle, Corey Lanerie takes the call on Happy American, Raise Cain will be ridden by Luan Machado and Rafael Bejarano rides Three Technique.
Return to the June 29 issue of Wire to Wire
