Havelock gets up in Hanshin Cup

Overcoming a wide journey through the opening six furlongs, Silverton Hill's homebred Havelock responded to the urgings of jockey Florent Geroux in the stretch to wear down the favored Lonesome Street by a neck in Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Hanshin Cup at Arlington Park. An 8-1 chance, Havelock paid $19.60, $8 and $4.40.

Taptowne led a four-way scramble for early supremacy after a quarter in :24, but narrowly yielded to 2-1 choice Lonesome Street through a half in :47 4/5 and three-quarters in 1:12. Meanwhile, Havelock raced five deep down the backside and even trailed the field of nine for a time before advancing with a four-wide rally around the turn. Lonesome Street dispensed with his dueling foes in the stretch and opened up a 2 1/2-length lead a furlong from home, but Havelock's late charge would not be denied.

"(The connections) told me the race today was kind of far him so the key was to get perfect timing," Geroux said. "He broke pretty sharp and we stayed just behind the first flight. I didn't want to go five wide the whole way so I took him inside on the turn to try to save ground. I had enough horse in the turn but I didn't want to make the lead too soon. The mile is about as far as he can go. I tried to have good timing to get there."