Barbados Rides Hot Streak into Hutcheson

Suzanne Stables' Barbados, fresh off a three-length win in the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park, heads a field of eight for the $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 24.

The seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds goes as race 7 Saturday at Gulfstream and is part of a solid stakes slate headlined by the $400,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II).



Barbados, a $340,000 Keeneland November sale purchase last year by Paul Hanifl, broke his maiden in his third attempt in mid-October at the Lexington track by five lengths, then turned up the heat in the six-furlong Spectacular Bid. Stalking the early pace under Luis Saez, he roared off the turn to draw away by three open lengths in the listed event, getting the trip in 1:09.40.



Saez will again be aboard for trainer Michael Tomlinson.



A son of Speightstown  , Barbardos is the first foal out of the stakes-winning Street Cry (IRE) mare Northern Station and was bred in Kentucky by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds. Northern Station is out of the stakes-winning Word o' Ransom (by Red Ransom), a half sister to Words of War, the dam of the grade I winners E Dubai and No Matter What; and Ascutney, the dam of Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Raven's Pass.



Barbados was a $160,000 Keeneland September sale yearling, purchased by Redwings. He then was bought by Maverick Racing (an arm of WinStar Farm) for $230,000 at last year's Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale before being sold by WinStar in November after the maiden score.



Challengers to Barbados include Stanford, who has the rail, Dom the Bomb, X Y Jet, and Bluegrass Singer.



Stanford, a $550,000 Barretts March sale of 2-year-olds grad, makes his first start since running behind I Spent It in early August in the grade II Toyota Saratoga Special at Saratoga Race Course for Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Stonestreet Stables. Trainer Todd Pletcher got a bullet :48 4/5 move into the son of Malibu Moon   Jan. 18 at Palm Beach Downs.



V-Leaf Stables' Dom the Bomb, by Bring the Heat, won back-to-back stakes when heavily backed against Illinois-breds to cap his 2014 season. He last worked Jan. 13 at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Larry Rivelli, breezing six furlongs in 1:13 2/5.



X Y Jet was beaten a neck when second to Catalina Red in the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes Dec. 27 at Tampa Bay. Gelfenstein Farm's gray/roan races as a first-time gelding in the Hutcheson.



Bluegrass Singer, by Bluegrass Cat  , won a one-mile allowance race Dec. 17 at Gulfstream, then added the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 3, getting the distance in 1:35.83. Trainer Marcus Vitali had him breeze three furlongs in a bullet :36 Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park West.

Both Dom the Bomb and Bluegrass Singer are cross-entered in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Saturday.



Won by Hall of Famer Holy Bull in 1994 and champions Housebuster and Fly So Free in the '90s—along with More Than Ready   in 2000—the Hutcheson is an important race these days for horses not quite ready to tackle two turns on the Triple Crown Trail. Top-line sprinters D' Funnybone  , Honorable Dillon  , and Wildcat Red have the Hutcheson on their resumes of late.