Gwaihir Tops Hawthorne Derby

A group of 10 3-year-olds passed the entry box for Saturday's Hawthorne Derby (gr. IIIT), one of the season's last major stakes races restricted to sophomores. Al and Saundra Kirkwood's European import Gwaihir is the highweighted entry at 117 pounds.

At two, Gwaihir grabbed his sole stakes win in the Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage in France. Stateside for all of his 3-year-old season, the Irish-bred son of Cape Cross has a nose allowance win at Arlington Park July 8 to his credit and has run in graded stakes company both in Chicago and on the West Coast.

Trained by Grant Forster and bred by J. F. Tuthill, the colt has a pair of third-place finishes in stakes: one in the Hill Rise Stakes at Santa Anita in his first U. S. start in December of 2003; and one in his last trip postward in the Paradise Creek Stakes at Arlington Sept. 11.

Jesse Campbell, aboard for his last five starts at Arlington, gets the call for a trip from the 8-hole.

Dr. John Chandler's homebred Cockleshell is one of four contenders who will carry 115 pounds. The Red Ransom colt was unraced at two, but began his 3-year-old season with three straight wins before tackling stakes runners in a fourth-place finish in the Stanton Stakes on the turf at Delaware Park Sept. 6.

Michael Dickinson-trained Kentucky-bred has shipped in from the "mad genius'" Tapeta Farm in Maryland for the affair. He retains the services of Ramon Dominguez, aboard for his last win, a 4 1/4-length allowance score at Pimlico Aug. 26.

The pair will break from post 6 and should come from a rating position in a desired trip.

Klaravich Stable's Bankruptcy Court, unraced also at two, has shown promise in his 3-year-old campaign winning twice and placing four times from six starts. He was beaten by a neck his last time out in an allowance race at Belmont Park Sept. 25.

The son of Dixieland Band has shown early speed in prior outings and should be out front early. He and regular rider Shaun Bridgmohan will exit from post 3 for trainer Richard Violette.

David E. Garner's Cool Conductor, by Stravinsky, also carries 115 pounds and will break from post 5. His most recent start came in a fourth-place finish in the one-mile Storm Cat Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 10.

Bred in Kentucky, Cool Conductor was second by a neck in the American Derby (gr. IIT) July 24, and third by just 3 1/2 lengths in the Arlington Classic July 3. The Bill Mott trainee was a tired fifth in the 1 1/4-miles Secretariat Stakes (gr. I).

Jose Santos makes the trip to the windy city for the mount.

Lord Carmen, Crown Prince, Cowboy Code, Double Shotgun, Western Ridge, and Hunting Hillbilly round out the field from the rail out.

Hawthorne Derby (gr. IIIT), 3-year-olds, 1 1/8-miles, $250,000, Saturday, Oct. 16. Appx. Post Time 4:26 PM CDT.

PP--Horse, Weight, Jockey

1--Lord Carmen, 111, Christopher Emigh
2--Crown Prince, 113, Larry Sterling
3--Bankruptcy Court, 115, Shaun Bridgmahon
4--Cowboy Code, 111, Earlie Fires
5--Cool Conductor, 115, Jose Santos
6--Cockleshell, 115, Ramon Dominguez
7--Double Shotgun, 111, Carlos Marquez
8--Gwaihir, 117, Jesse Campbell
9--Western Ridge, 111, Liz Morris
10--Hunting Hillbillly, 115, Eduardo Perez