Horsepower Rumbles Home in Go Cats Go Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – D.J. Stable’s Horsepower, narrowly beaten in his stakes debut last month, dug in through the stretch to edge past stakes winners Xy Speed and Reef Runner for a three-quarter-length triumph in Saturday’s $70,000 Go Cats Go overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The Go Cats Go for 3-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs on the turf, paired with the presence of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup – won last season by the hometown Florida Panthers – helped to highlight opening weekend of the Royal Palm Meet.

Ridden by Rajiv Maragh for trainer Joe Orseno, Horsepower ($13.40) covered the distance in 54.86 seconds over a firm course to get the win while 9-year-old Xy Speed, a 15-time career winner, got his nose down on the wire to edge Reef Runner for second.

Maragh was also aboard Horsepower Feb. 22 when the 4-year-old gelding came up a half-length short at odds of 26-1 in the five-furlong Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs.

“We all know that Xy Speed is a good horse,” Orseno said. “I had a lot of confidence in my horse going into this. He should have won at Tampa, but Rajiv did say that he got to know this horse by going to Tampa and that put all the confidence in the world in him to ride him today. He told me he actually feels like the horse is still learning. He just hardly squeezed on him today and he took off. I think he’s a horse that’s going to be reckoned with later on down the line.”

Xy Speed broke alertly from outside each of his five rivals but bobbled shorty afterward and was outrun to the front by Reef Runner, who led through a spirited quarter-mile in 21.40 seconds. Xy Speed found himself in second between Reef Runner on the rail and 8-5 favorite Bring Theband Home in the clear three wide.

“It was an unlucky trip. He stumbled after breaking out of there and then got stuck in between horses,” Xy Speed’s trainer, Michael Lerman, said. “But he ran hard.”

Horsepower, who had rated in fourth saving ground inside, was tipped outside by Maragh and gained ground through a half in 43.44 seconds. Set down for a drive at the top of the stretch, they reeled in dueling Reef Runner and Xy Speed and crept clear.

“It was a pretty ideal trip,” Maragh said. “The speed was going quick in front of us. My horse likes that. He likes to run at a target. I was really happy with the way the race developed. I was just trying for the right time and a clear run for him. When we came into the stretch, it presented itself to go to the outside and the horse did the rest.”

Biz Biz Buzz and Bring Theband Home completed the order of finish. Horsepower’s stablemate Eamonn, winner of Gulfstream’s March 8 Silks Run, Fulanito, Panther Island and Yes I Am Free were scratched.

Horsepower now has four wins and four seconds from 11 career starts.

“He’s been very honest since I had him. He seems like he wants to keep going forward,” Orseno said. “We were waiting for this race today. I had Eamonn in this race and, truthfully, I didn’t want them to hook up because they were both going to run a big race.”

Eamonn is entered to run in the Shakertown (G2) April 8 at Keeneland. Orseno said Horsepower could come back in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint May 17 at Pimlico on the undercard of the 150th Preakness Stakes (G1).