Coal Play & Silver Edition Face Off Again At Gulfstream Park’s Swale Stakes

Robert LaPenta’s Coal Play disappointed on his last start when he finished 7th out of a field of 8 in the 7 furlong Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II) on January 5 for trainer Nick Zito, but will get a chance at redemption when he faces 6 rivals in the $150,000 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 2.

Jockey Eddie Castro will have the mount on Coal Play, who was turning back to a sprint in the Hutcheson Sprint after a good runner-up effort to Check It Twice in the 1 1/16 miles What a Pleasure Stakes at Calder Race Course in his previous start on December 1. A son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, Coal Play came back with a ‘bullet’ half-mile workout in 46 seconds at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.

Coal Play’s chief rival in the Swale may be Tom Van Meter II’s Silver Edition, runner-up to Smooth Air in the Hutcheson Stakes for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Jockey Rene Douglas rides the Silver Deputy colt that had won just one of four previous starts last year and apparently relished the ‘sloppy’ footing in the Hutcheson.

Another solid contender should be Zayat Stable’s Eaton’s Gift, with jockey Kent Desormeaux to ride for trainer Dale Romans. The son of Johannesburg is set to make his first start since finishing seventh in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track on December 22 after setting the pace to the upper stretch. Eaton’s Gift had won his two previous starts at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.

All carrying 116 pounds, the complete field for Gulfstream Park’s Swale Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday:

  1. Mr. Foz with no rider named
  2. Eaton’s Gift ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux
  3. Surrealdeal ridden by jockey Manoel Cruz
  4. St. Joe ridden by jockey Eibar Coa
  5. Silver Edition ridden by jockey Cornelio Velasquez
  6. Wincat ridden by jockey John Velazquez
  7. Coal Play ridden by jockey Eddie Castro

The Swale Stakes along with the Santa Anita Park’s Robert B. Lewis Stakes are the Kentucky Derby preparatory races scheduled for Saturday. Estimated post time for the Swale Stakes is at 3:40 pm CST.

"Coal Play & Silver Edition Face Off Again At Gulfstream Park’s Swale Stakes" was posted on 30 January 2008 9:57 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Stakes Races

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