Ontario-bred stakes winner HUNT MASTER (Hunters Bay) strolled to a course record-setting victory on the Sam Houston Race Park turf in Texas on February 6. The seven-year-old gelding was making his first start since he was second in the Overskate Stakes at Woodbine in October. Owned by Bruno Schickedanz, who claimed the gelding for $50,000 in August of last year, Hunt Master is trained by Martin Hinckson.
Hunt Master was quickly on the lead out of the gates at the start of the one-mile grass race, one of the new Ratings Handicaps developed by Equibase, and he simply galloped to a 4 1/2 length win under Mario Fuentes in 1:35.35, a course record. The gelding also earned his second-best career Beyer Speed Figure of 91. The Ratings Handicap win was worth a winner’s share of $21,780.
Hunt Master, bred by Lanny McDonald, Linda Barron and Susan Rasmussen’s Openwood Farm, won the Overskate Stakes in 2024 for his breeders. He was claimed for $32,000 two starts later by Centennial Farms (Niagara) and $50,000 by Lisa McCallum-Smith in April.
Hunt Master has won seven of 34 races and over $414,000.
Schickedanz and Hinckson have a few horses at Sam Huston for its winter meeting including nine-year-old Malibu Mambo, who is entered in a Ratings Handicap on Feb. 20. Schickedanz is also racing at Gulfstream, Mahoning Valley, Oaklawn Park and Aqueduct, among others. The owner, who is up for a Sovereign Award for 2025, has trainer Devon Gittens managing a stable at Aqueduct. Unfortunately, Schickedanz lost one his Florida starters, Souper Dormy, a nine-year-old who was fatally injured on the turf last weekend. The incident led to Gulfstream Park initiating a rule that nine- and 10-year-old horses must have a full body scan annually before racing.
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Ontario-bred NYFIVE led all the way and won her maiden on the grass at Gulfstream on February 19 for Monarch Stable and trainer David Fawkes. The Nyquist filly out of Private Client by Kitten’s Joy was making her third career start and was racing for $35,000 claiming. Bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms, Mario Serrani and Showay Chen, Nyfive was just a $5,000 yearling purchase and she is eligible to the Woodbine Oaks and Canadian Triple Crown.
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