Super Chow Stays Perfect at Six Furlongs in Hutcheson

Multiple stakes winner Super Chow extended his winning streak at six furlongs to five after winning the $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes handily March 18 at Gulfstream Park. Lea Farms' 3-year-old son of Lord Nelson has now won six of eight lifetime starts and never finished off the board on his way to compiling $384,230 in career earnings for trainer Jorge Delgado. The Hutcheson didn't offer much of a challenge to Super Chow, who faced only three other challengers in the listed stakes for 3-year-olds that took a hit with three scratched entrants. Super Chow and jockey Chantal Sutherland were sent to the post as the 1-9 favorite. The only drama in the race occurred at the break where Super Chow broke a step slow and was soon tracking three-wide in third, where he stayed for the opening quarter. He had been on the lead for the first two points of call of every previous start. Sutherland caught Two of a Kind and Youbetterbejoking midway through the turn and drew away in the stretch to win by an easy 5 1/4 lengths. The final time was 1:09.95. "Chantal, all the credit to her for Plan B. It wasn't expected, but that's why you have a professional rider on the horses. They're able to make changes," said Delgado. "I definitely didn't want to be on the rail. When I saw her go outside in the middle of the track, I loved that. I knew we had the best horse and he was training good. It was just a matter of how he was going to handle it." The Hutcheson belonged to Lea Farms, who also owned second-place finisher Live Is Life. Spendthrift Farm bred Super Chow out of the Warrior's Reward daughter Bonita Mia. Lea Farms bought the colt for $75,000 from Eisaman Equine at the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Also featured on Gulfstream's Saturday card was the $100,000 Silks Run Stakes, which produced a thrilling 2023 debut for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's grade 3 winner Big Invasion. The 4-year-old son of Declaration of War was given a six-month break after finishing third Sept. 10 in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs. His 6-1-1 record from eight starts last year, including a win in the Quick Call Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course, helped make him the 7-5 favorite in the five-furlong sprint on firm turf. After the break, jockey Joel Rosario kept his mount in mid-pack as pacesetter Yes I Am Free took the field through sharp early fractions of :20.76 and :43.31. Big Invasion and Rosario launched their run with a furlong to go and sailed past three challengers to win by three-quarters of a length. Yes I Am Free held on for second and Carotari was third. The final time was :55.02. "I think the plan now is to run in a stakes on (Kentucky) Derby Day, the Jaipur—the grade 1 at Belmont, and then Ascot," said Miguel Clement, assistant and son to trainer Christophe Clement. Big Invasion was bred in Kentucky by John O'Meara out of the winning Curlin mare Curls in Place.