BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Fly With Me and Tami Bobo’s Improptude will look for his third straight victory in his stakes debut Saturday when the Florida-bred colt goes to the starting gate for the $100,000 Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park. A field of seven 3-year-olds will battle over six furlongs in the Hutcheson and Improptude will be running for an extra $20,000 Florida-bred Top 3 bonus presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
It took Improptude seven tries to make the winner’s circle after a come-from-behind victory against $50,000 optional claiming maidens going six-and-a-half furlongs on Feb. 2 at Gulfstream but the Antonio Sano trainee improved further in his next start.
Against first-level $50,000 optional claiming Florida-breds going seven furlongs on Feb. 23, Improptude rallied from fifth to win by a neck in his last race on Feb. 23.
Improptude is by Journeyman Stud stallion Khozan out of Tizlot, by Tiznow and was bred in Florida by Tami Bobo. He has two wins in eight starts with one second and two thirds with earnings of $88,700.
Joe Bravo gets the return mount on Improptude and they will break from post two.
Trainer Jorge Delgado will saddle Valiant Force for the Hutcheson in what will be the colt’s first start on dirt after building an accomplished turf resume.
After making his first two starts in Ireland in May of last year, Valiant Force won his first race in the Group 2 Norfolk at Royal Ascot when trained by Adrian Murray. He finished his 2-year-old season with a second-place finish to Big Evs (Ire) in the $920,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in November before transferring to Delgado at Gulfstream.
He was set to make his main track debut in the $103,000 Limehouse at Gulfstream on Jan. 6 but was scratched after a gate mishap.
In one start this year, he was second to Reef Runner in a first level, $75,000 optional claiming sprinting five furlongs on the Gulfstream Park grass course on Feb. 7 but returns to the main track Saturday.
“We want to give him a chance on dirt to see what he can do, so we can plan for the rest of the season,” Delgado said. “We’ll see what he wants to do. If he runs the way he’s training, he should have a really good chance.”
Valiant Force is by Malibu Moon out of Vigui’s Heart, by Quality Road has earned $285,000 from one win and three seconds in six starts.
Jockey David Egan will don the purple and white colors of owner AMO Racing USA and Valiant Force has post six.
Beeline looks to be another strong contender after an impressive, three-and-three-quarter-length victory against special weight maidens in his first career start on Feb. 10 at Gulfstream.
Trained by Riley Mott for Vintage Thoroughbreds LLC, Scott Estes and Brian Hanley, the son of Bee Jersey earned $42,000 in his lone start.
Beeline has post three and Edgard Zayas will ride.
Rounding out the field for the Hutcheson are Patriot Spirit and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Ship to Shore with Hector Diaz Jr. aboard, Miguel Vasquez rides Ship to Shore and Sir Flash and rider Luis Saez.
