Hogy Sets Fair Grounds Track Record in Colonel Power

Slightly overlooked on a day highlighted by younger runners competing toward classic races, William Stiritz's 8-year-old gelding Hogy sped home to take the $60,000 Colonel Power Overnight Stakes in track record time for 5 1/2 furlongs on the Stall-Wilson turf course at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

The son of Offlee Wild tracked well just behind leaders Latent Revenge and 4-5 favorite Green Mask, who set fractions of :22.44 for the first quarter and :44.79 for the half. Coming off the turn, Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Green Mask closed the distance on Latent Revenge and got a nose in front at the top of the stretch. Guided to the outside by jockey Florent Geroux, Hogy drifted out slightly and then found an extra gear to kick away late and win by a length over runner-up Green Mask.

Hogy, trained by Scott Becker, finished the distance in 1:01.56. Mike McCarty’s Steve Asmussen-trained Grand Candy rallied for third under Ricardo Santana Jr., another 3 1/2 lengths back.



"Scott Becker put me back on the horse and it was great to ride him again," Geroux said. "He's not an easy horse to ride. The key with him is timing the ride and going outside, because he will pull himself up. I knew there was a bit of magic left in him. I'm not surprised about the new track record."

While the hard-knocking older horse with a record of 16-10-5 from 41 starts may not generate the excitement of classic contenders, Hogy has an accomplished record of his own. He won his first start going five furlongs at Arlington International Racecourse on synthetic as a 2-year-old by 7 3/4 lengths. Hogy won his next two starts, an allowance optional claiming race at Arlington and then taking the Brian Barenscheer Juvenile Stakes at Canterbury Park for then owner Alice Mettler and trainer Joel Berndt. Geroux was riding.

After finishing fifth in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3), at a mile on synthetic, Hogy won the Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park, taking the six furlong synthetic race by 6 3/4 lengths. He dropped to the claiming level after three straight losses in stakes, but after winning that was sent to the Straight Line Stakes, where he finished third. 

Claimed by Stiritz out of a November 2012 allowance optional claiming race which Hogy won, the gelding was moved to the barn of Becker and finished second and first in his next two starts respectively before trying the grade 3 Shakertown Stakes, where he placed third. In his next start he managed to break through to win the Hanshin Cup Stakes (G3) going a mile on Arlington's synthetic. In his only grade 1 effort, he placed eighth in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

SHINAR: Hogy Holds His Own in Sharp Hanshin Cup Tally

"Right now he seems the same as he did four years ago. He's training fine, he looks good, he feels good, (and) he's happy," Becker said. "We had a little more racing luck yesterday and less traffic. He was closer (to the pace). He tends to get himself to the back of the pack a little bit and when he starts (running), he's got to go six-wide, seven-wide and that's cost him several races"

Hogy has won or placed in his last seven starts.

"As long as he stays healthy enough and wants to do the job, he can do it, if not the owner will put him on his farm." Becker added.

Bred by Dr. John E. Little, Hogy is out of the Petionvillle mare Floy. Hogy has earned $848,727.