ARLINGTON: HOOTENANNY HEADLINES HANSHIN

By Brian Spencer —-

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 10, 2017) – Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael B. Tabor’s Grade I winner Hootenanny looms the one to beat in Saturday’s 65th running of the Grade III $100,000 Hanshin Cup at Arlington International Racecourse. At one mile on the main track, the Hanshin will be run for the 23rd time as an exchange race between Arlington and the Japan Racing Association.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Hootenanny will make his first start of 2017 in the Hanshin after most recently finishing fifth in the Grade II City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita in October. The 5-year-old son of Quality Road has been a classy traveler since the start, racing in four countries and posting a win in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot prior to taking down the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2015. Julio Garcia will ride from the outside post 11.

Shortleaf Stable’s Trace Creek will seek a repeat score in the Hanshin after posting a 44-1 upset in last year’s renewal when making his Polytrack debut. Trained by William Van Meter, the 7-year-old son of Harperstown finished sixth in his two subsequent efforts and will return Saturday off a nine-month layoff. Edgar Perez is named to ride the defending champion from post seven.

A new shooter of note is Courtney Barousse’s Wyeth, who will be making his stakes debut in the Hanshin. The Tom Amoss-trained 4-year-old son of Candy Ride has been patiently managed through his allowance conditions and will be in search of his third consecutive victory after tallies at Fair Grounds and Keeneland. Arlington’s leading rider, Jose Valdivia, Jr., will pilot Wyeth from post eight.

Dac (Cory Orm, rail), Scitech (Constantino Roman, post two), Surgical Strike (Julio Felix, post three), Valiant City (Chris Emigh, post four), Dimension (GB) (Julie Burke, post five), Ghost Hunter (Jevian Toledo, post six), Crewman (C. H. Marquez, Jr., post nine) and Rated R Superstar (Channing Hill, post 10) complete the field.

Arlington International Racecourse – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 71-day meet in 2017 from Friday, May 5 through September 23. Arlington International Racecourse, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 10 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities in Aurora, Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Waukegan, Villa Park, Rockford, Hodgkins, McHenry, Green Oaks and Orland Hills. Arlington International Racecourse is a proud member of America’s Best Racing. Information on Arlington International Racecourse and Trackside OTB can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arlingtonpark and www.facebook.com/tracksideotb, and on Twitter at @Arlington_Park for the latest happenings, @arlingtonracing for the latest racing news and @tracksideotb for all things pertaining to off-track wagering.