Recruiting Ready Makes the Grade in Gulfstream Sprint
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Recruiting Ready wins the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Graded stakes-placed on several occasions throughout his career, Sagamore Farm's 5-year-old Recruiting Ready made the grade March 2 in the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The Stanley Hough trainee had plenty of work to do in the six-furlong test. Off a step slow from post 1 as the 1-2 choice in an eight-horse field, he was quickly boxed in on the rail under Luis Saez while 150-1 shot My Chinumado went the quarter in :22.56 with 5-2 second choice Quixote in close pursuit. But once Saez shifted him out as Quixote took over to run the half in :45.26, Recruiting Ready was full of run. He engaged Quixote with an outside bid around the turn, put away that rival through five-eighths in :57.09, and drew off to a 3 1/4-length win in a final time of 1:09.53 on a fast track.
"It was a little scary in the beginning when we didn't make the lead," Hough said. "I think he's getting better with age. Some problems are behind him, and I hope he finishes this year good. After today, (Oaklawn Park) is an option heading north, but nothing is really set."
It was the second start of the season for Recruiting Ready, who ran second Jan. 26 in an off-the-turf edition of the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes going five furlongs on a sloppy (sealed) track. The son of Algorithms lost by 2 3/4 lengths to World of Trouble in that race, his first after winning the Dec. 23 Gravesend Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack off a layoff.
Winner of the Chick Lang Stakes and Bachelor Stakes in the spring of 2017, Recruiting Ready ran third in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) that summer at Belmont Park. He also was third in the 2016 Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and fourth in that year's edition of the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) off a runner-up finish in his second career outing, Churchill's Bashford Manor Stakes (G3).
Recruiting Ready was bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm out of the unraced Strong Hope mare Need and is his dam's best performer from four foals to race. The mare produced a Flatter colt in 2018 and was bred back to Algorithms for 2019.
Purchased for $110,000 by Jack Hester when consigned by Claiborne to the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Recruiting Ready was a private purchase after failing to meet his reserve at $240,000 the following year, when Eddie Woods consigned him to Fasig-Tipton's The Florida Sale. His record now stands at 7-2-4 from 18 starts, with earnings of $579,785.