Colorado Cruiser after his maiden victory Dec. 26 at Santa Anita (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— Following four starts in Southern California capped by a maiden win in his juvenile finale, CTR Stable and Lady Sheila Stable’s Colorado Cruiser will make his East Coast debut for new trainer Jack Sisterson in Saturday’s $125,000 Claiborne Farm Swale at Gulfstream Park.
By Catalina Cruiser, a five-time Grade 2 winner at distances from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, Colorado Cruiser stretches out from six to seven furlongs for the Swale after a gutsy nose maiden special weight triumph Dec. 26 on opening day of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet and will race without blinkers for the first time.
“His last race at Santa Anita it looked like he was hitting the wire with a lot of run left and he galloped out strong. The owner wanted to run him in the Swale. We’re taking the blinkers off because I do think in time he’ll stretch out, as well. I felt the next logical step from six is to go seven, so we’ll see how he goes on Saturday,” Sisterson said. “He’s a beautiful horse and he does everything right.”
The Swale for 3-year-olds will mark the stakes debut for Colorado Cruiser, who has had three timed breezes for Sisterson since mid-January at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. Most recently, he went a half-mile in 49.35 seconds Jan. 27, sixth-fastest of 58 horses on the day.
“We backed him up to a half for his last work just to freshen him up for the race and he did it well within himself. He wanted to do more and that’s what we wanted to see going into the race,” Sisterson said. “California is so speed-dominant out there, and he breaks and gets quickly into stride. He trains like he doesn’t need blinkers. I could be wrong for Saturday, but we’ll take them off with the intention of eventually stretching him out further.”
Colorado Cruiser, rated at 5-1 on the morning line, drew Post 2 in a field of nine. Oisin Murphy has the mount.
One race earlier, Sisterson will saddle Qatar Racing’s Milliat in the $175,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Milliat was a debut winner on the all-weather in Ireland last fall before coming to the U.S., where she overcame a slow start to be second, beaten a neck, in the 7 ½-furlong Wait a While on the Gulfstream turf Dec. 9.
“She was training like she was going to put forth a good performance, and she did,” Sisterson said. “Typical European, she didn’t break as sharp as the rest of the field, and it might have cost her, but we were very happy with her performance, and she came out of it in great shape. We opted to just skip the [six-furlong Glitter Woman Jan. 7] and just point for this race on Saturday.”
Murphy will ride Milliat from Post 7 of eight in the Sweetest Chant, for which she is rated second at 5-2 on the morning line.
“I’d like her to [come from off it],” Sisterson said. “I don’t want to put any speed into these turf-type horses. You see it happen a lot with these European horses that come over. They simply don’t break as sharp in Europe, and they don’t go as quick early. She’ll break a lot better this time. She knows what’s coming. But I’m not going to tell Oisin what to do. He’s worked her and he knows her, and he’ll put her in the best position possible to win.”
