Brother to Eight Belles Gets Tesio Class Test
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Godolphin Racing's recent maiden winner All Hands, a full brother to ill-fated Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles, is to make his stakes debut in the $100,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds April 18 at Pimlico Race Course.
The son of Unbridled's Song—Away, by Dixieland Band, steps up to stakes competition in his third career start after breaking his maiden by seven lengths last month at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"He ran once in Florida and was real green and didn't run well," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said of All Hands. "We put him on a van and sent him to Aqueduct to run long, and we won easy. He's trained very well since. It's a big step up from breaking your maiden to a stake, but he's a quality colt."
All Hands was never in contention in his Feb. 7 debut at six furlongs at Gulfstream Park, but returned March 15 to score a front-running win at Aqueduct, going one mile and 70 yards in a maiden special weight event, with jockey Jose Ortiz gearing down in the stretch.
"It was a very impressive maiden win," McLaughlin said. "It was just breaking his maiden, but he did it the right way and that's what was encouraging."
A narrow 2-1 favorite on the morning line for the Tesio, All Hands will break from post 2 of seven in the 1 1/16-mile. Fernando Jara has the mount.
"He's improving all the time, and he wants to go long," McLaughlin said. "The last race, it wasn't like we sent him and he has to be in front. He doesn't have to be there, but he does have speed. He's got a big, long stride and is a nice-looking colt. We hope to see him in some of the big 3-year-old races in the summer and fall."
Campaigning for Fox Hill Farms and trainer Larry Jones, Eight Belles won three consecutive stakes, including the Honeybee (gr. III) and Fantasy (gr. II), before breaking down while galloping out following her second to Big Brown in the 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). She was euthanized on the Churchill Downs racetrack minutes later.