Gulfstream News & Notes: Time For Trouble Has Done Only Good Things

By David Joseph —-

Gulfstream News & Notes

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Time for Trouble was claimed for $8000 in the summer of 2021 and the son of English Channel has done only good things ever since for owner/trainer Jeff Hiles and Thorndale Stable LLC.

The 5-year-old gelding, who has won five of eight starts with only one off=-the-board finish while competing at distances from 1 1/16 miles and 1 ½ miles, is scheduled to seek his first open stakes victory in Saturday’s $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens, a two-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up on turf at Gulfstream Park.

What attracted Hiles to Time for Trouble?

“His breeding. We knew he was meant to go long and he hadn’t really run that long,” Hiles said. “We watched a couple races and he was maybe in the wrong spot, so for $8000 we thought we’d take a chance and see if we could do something with him.”

Claimed out of a fourth-place finish at 1 1/16-miles on dirt at Churchill Downs, Time for Trouble won at first asking for his new connections in a 1 3/8-mile starter allowance on turf at Belterra. Following a second-place finish at Kentucky Downs and an off-the board finish at Keeneland, he was sent to the sideline.

Since his return in July, Time for Trouble has won four of five starts this year, winning on a fast dirt track in an off-the-turf race at Belterra and back-to-back turf victories at Kentucky Downs and Belterra before running on dirt in his two most recent starts. The Kentucky-bred gelding finished second in a starter allowance at Keeneland while prepping for a start in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse, which he won going away by 3 ¼ lengths over a sloppy Churchill Downs main track.

“He’s very versatile. He’s won in the slop; he’s won on fast dirt; he’s won at Kentucky Downs, which is a different track; and he’s won on just a flat turf,” Hiles said.

Time for Trouble has breezed three times on the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, in preparation for his scheduled return to turf in the Jerkens.

Treasure of War Takes on Elders Again in Via Borghese

Victory Racing Partners’ Treasure of War, who has run her best races against older horses, will face elders again in Saturday’s $100,000 Via Borghese at Gulfstream Park.

Treasure of War is one of three sophomore fillies in the 1 3/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares, drawing Post 3 in a field of eight. Julien Leparoux rides for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

“There wasn’t really another option for the [two-other-than] going a route of ground, so when the race came up, we just decided we’re going to try it,” DeVaux said. “There’s not a lot of opportunities to go that far, so it’s a good place to see if she can handle that marathon distance.”

Treasure of War has won once in four career grass races, holding on for a determined head triumph in a 1 1/8-mile allowance July 24 at Ellis Park. It was her second straight win over older horses, following a half-length maiden special weight score in the slop May 26 at Horseshoe Indiana, a race originally carded for the turf.

The Declaration of War filly returns to the grass after running second by less than a length in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance Oct. 31 at Indiana, another off-the-turf event. She has been working at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, since mid-November.

“She hasn’t had a work over the turf course, but she’s been breezing just fine on the dirt, more [for] just stamina and keeping her fit and happy,” DeVaux said. “She actually has run a few good races on the dirt. She’s doing fine; we’re just keeping her fresh, fit, and happy.”

The Via Borghese will be the second stakes attempt for Treasure of Warr, who faded to be last following an inside trip in the 1 1/8-mile Virginia Oaks Sept. 6 at Colonial Downs.

“She’s always been really forward and trained really well,” DeVaux said. “She looks fantastic. She came out of her last race in good shape and settled in well down here, so she’s doing the best she can be doing.”

Pappacap Seeking Comeback Race Before Pegasus

Rustlewood Farm, Inc.’s Grade 2-winning homebred colt Pappacap, unraced since late July, continues to work for his return and a possible start in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

A 3-year-old son of 2017 champion older horse and Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who captured the 2018 Pegasus in his career finale, Pappacap has had three timed breezes since mid-November, the most recent a five-furlong move in 1:00.65 Dec. 10 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“He’s been training great. It’s great to have him back,” Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse’s assistant, Nick Tomlinson, said. “He looks like he’s matured now, and he looks fantastic out there.”

Pappacap is among 29 nominees to the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby for 3-year-olds scheduled to go 1 1/16 miles on Gulfstream’s new turf course. The grandson of Scat Daddy – who swept the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) in 2007 at Gulfstream – has never raced on grass.

“There’s the Tropical Park Derby … that’s not necessarily where we want to run, but he’s a two-other-than, so if we don’t run him before January he has to run against older horses,” Tomlinson said. “We’re not really sure if we want to do that, either, so we’re just kind of weighing our options.

“He’s going to need to run in a race before we even think about the Pegasus,” he added. “That’s the only way we’re going to be able to do it.”

Pappacap has raced in 10 consecutive graded stakes since breaking his maiden sprinting at five furlongs at Gulfstream in May 2021. He won the Best Pal (G2) at Del Mar second time out and finished second in the American Pharoah (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) to round out his rookie season.

This year Pappacap is winless in six tries, running second in the Woody Stephens (G1) and Pat Day Mile (G2), third in the Lecomte (G3) and fourth in the Florida Derby. He hasn’t started since finishing fourth behind Gunite in the July 31 Amsterdam (G2).

After some time off, Pappacap returned to the work tab in mid-November and had a pair of breezes at Casse’s training center in Ocala before rejoining the main string at Palm Meadows.

“When he came back for the Florida Derby, he kind of looked like the same horse that we had as a 2-year-old. He may have gotten a little bit bigger and little bit longer, but nothing really changed on him,” Tomlinson said. “Now that he’s back here, he looks like a man now. Hopefully heading into his 4-year-old year, he’ll start to really develop.”

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