SALUTE THE DON and TAYLOR MADE are contrasting Aveenu Malcainu-sired choices for Saturday’s Sir Howard and Hotline Stakes, six-furlong sprints for colts and fillies, respectively, Guineas hopefuls with one win under their girths.
SALUTE THE DON’s runner-up effort behind champion WE JAMMIN in December’s Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes made him the second-best juvenile at a mile at the back end of the year.
Though reverting to a sprint for his first run as a three-year-old, SALUTE THE DON can be comforted by the distance, which should allow him to use class to collar speedsters such as DASHALLDAY and a pair of straight-course winners, SO LUCKY AM I and MANOLETTI MAJESTIC, who both won from out the chute on debut.
FERNANDO, who twice finished two lengths behind SALUTE THE DON as two-year-olds last season, including the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, won his three-year-old debut on January 24 at six furlongs, closing willingly to catch United States-bred maiden, ANY MEANS, clocking a sharp 1:14.2 in the Rimsky Trophy.
Coincidentally, SALUTE THE DON isn’t the only runner out to frank FERNANDO’s winning form. TAYLOR MADE, ante-post favourite for the Hotline Stakes, carried the fractions of the Rimsky, disputing the lead with VICTORIOUS LINKS, a nippy 23.1, 47.3 and 1:00.4 to the furlong pole.
The Sir Howard is set to be a speed fest from the off. GOD’S PLAN will ensure the race is run at a pace to benefit stablemate SALUTE THE DON, with whom he shares Oakridge Farms’ silks.
SALUTE THE DON is no sluggard, beating FIDELITY and MAYBELLE out the straight on debut, before chasing home Anthony Nunes’ foreigner, SIR DON, an out-of-class and same-owner winner, at seven furlongs.
Meanwhile, bred-to-sprint TAYLOR MADE’s impressive form at exercise, prepping for the event with a six-furlong spin in 1:14.4, dismissing stablemate DREAM CATCHER, 1:16.0, leaves only her Bern Identity-Lightning Lily rival, GIVING THANKS, as a threat.
Both fillies met on debut last December but GIVING THANKS swerved at the start and was tailed off before recovering to chase home TAYLOR MADE, who won under a hand ride with female claiming rider, Abigail Able.
GIVING THANKS returned to land her first three-year-old race, a 10-length runaway in 1:15.2. She clocked a solid 1:01.2 for five furlongs round at exercise last Sunday morning, signalling she won’t let go of TAYLOR MADE that easily on the lead.
