Sprinting is Havelock’s cup of tea but he showed a taste for running a mile in Saturday’s Grade III $150,000 Hanshin Cup. Coming from last in the field of nine after half a mile, the 8-1 shot made a resolute stretch run to win a three-way fight to the finish in the first stakes race of the Arlington International Racecourse meeting.
Havelock finished a neck in front of front-running 2-1 favorite Lonesome Street while 2.40-1 second choice Scotus was a neck shy of the runner-up.
With Florent Geroux at the reins for the first time, Havelock ran the mile on the Polytrack in 1:37.10.
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The victorious 5-year-old gelded son of Great Notion was beaten by 31/2 lengths when he finished third in last year’s Hanshin. But he won three major stakes on the grass during the summer and fall — the $100,000 Arlington Sprint Handicap at 51/2 furlongs; the Grade II Play King, a 7-furlong race at Woodbine; and the Grade III Woodford, a 51/2-furlong race at Keeneland.
Before Saturday’s race, trainer Darrin Miller told Geroux, “the distance is kind of far for him so the key is to time it perfectly.”
That’s what Geroux did. Leaving from the outside post position, Havelock broke alertly and settled in fifth, racing five deep. Then the jockey guided his mount to the inside and they dropped back to last.
“I had enough horse but I didn’t want to take the lead too soon,” Geroux said. “So, I took him inside on the turn to save ground. The mile is about as far as he can go. I tried to have good timing to get there.”
Lonesome Street had a 21/2-length lead at the stretch call but that quickly evaporated when Havelock challenged in mid-stretch. The favorite yielded in the closing strides.
Snapping a three-race losing streak that dated back to November, Havelock went to the winner’s circle for the seventh time in his 18-race career.