Tommy Macho Wins Hooper, Jordan's Henny Shines

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Tommy Macho powered to the front around the far turn and fended off game longshot Conquest Big E to snap a six-race losing streak in the $175,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Tommy Macho was the 2-1 favorite in his season debut for trainer Todd Pletcher. Unraced since running fourth in the Sept. 23 Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park,  it was the sixth victory and third at Gulfstream for the 6-year-old Macho Uno  horse, who won the Hooper in 2016 and took the Hal's Hope Stakes (G3) in January of 2017, which was his most recent win until Saturday.

Moves Like Ali was fastest from the gate and took the field through a quarter-mile in :24.09 and a half in :46.57, as jockey Luis Saez had Tommy Macho poised to strike in the clear three wide. As three-quarters went in 1:10.79, the eventual winner surged to the lead approaching the stretch. He was followed by 15-1 Conquest Big E, who chased down the lane as they separated from their rivals, but was unable to get by.

"That stretch run was really impressive," Saez said. "He was really ready for this race today. He broke well, we got a perfect position, and when we hit the stretch, he just took off." 

Tommy Macho ran the mile in 1:36.10 over a fast main track to win by three-quarters of a length over Conquest Big E. He returned $6.20, $4.40, and $3, while the runner-up brought $11.60 and $6.20. Tale of Silence ($3.40) finished third, another 4 1/4 lengths back, with Giuseppe the Great fourth. Frammento, First Growth, Beasley, Eight Town, and Moves Like Ali completed the order of finish.

"He's a cool horse," Pletcher said. "I give the horse a lot of credit. He loves Gulfstream. He loves the one-turn mile. He's been awfully good to us. We'll probably skip the (Feb. 24 Hal's Hope) and go to the race on March 31 (the grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile)."

Tommy Macho was bred in Kentucky by John Liviakis, out of the Awesome Again  mare Starstream, and sold for $25,000 to Juan Naciff through the War Horse Place consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall 2013 yearling sale. 

Later on the card, 59-1 shot Jordan's Henny upset the $175,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes presented by Fasig-Tipton (G3) when she ran down 8-5 choice Curlin's Approval inside the final sixteenth of the seven-furlong test.

Ervine Woolsey and Ralph Kinder's 4-year-old homebred Henny Hughes filly closed from 11th in a field of 12 under Tyler Gaffalione, shifted out to the five-path in mid-stretch to find running room, and completed her run from off the pace just in time to deny Curlin's Approval a second consecutive victory in the race.

The gray filly earned her first graded score for trainer Michael Tomlinson when she finished the distance in 1:23.68 and returned $120, $24, and $10.80. Curlin's Approval paid $4 and $3, edging out Rich Mommy ($7) by three-quarters of a length. The order of finish was completed by Moonlit Promise, Bodacious Babe, Marley's Freedom, Spice Lady, Nonna Mela, Apologynotaccepted, Magalie, Shar Ran, and Money Or Love.

"The filly broke well today," Gaffalione said of Jordan's Henny. "She put herself in a real nice spot and was relaxed back there. When I picked her up at the three-eighths pole, she started giving me more down the lane, had a big stride, and was all horse today."

Jordan's Henny improved her record at Gulfstream to 2-1-1 from four starts. She broke her maiden there in December of 2016 and finished second in the Davona Dale (G2) and third in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) last year. The Hurricane Bertie was the filly's first start since a third in the Sept. 23 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs. Her overall record stands at 3-3-5 from 15 starts, with earnings of $262,596.

"She is quite a prize," Tomlinson said. "She's come off of a layoff; she had a hard campaign last year. We freshened her and the owners let us do what we needed to do. Everyone discounted her, but this filly has a lot of class and we're just thrilled to death with the outcome of today. Tyler (Gaffalione) and I discussed the amount of speed in the race, and he did such a wonderful job and we're just tickled to death for everyone involved.

"If you look at her form, she's got back class all the way. She ran very competitive here last year, and she had just been working so well and so easy, doing everything we asked her to do. What the owners and I talked about (was) whether we could find an allowance race or running her here. We opted to run her here at Gulfstream, and I'll be the first to tell you my heart wanted to run here, but the trainer instinct said to give her an easier race to start with. But it's worked out and it's been a great ride with this filly."