May 4, 2017
Green Gratto, Stallwalkin' Dude top salty Diablo field
by NYRA Press Office
Green Gratto and Stallwalkin' Dude, both familiar millionaires on the New York circuit, will headline a field of eight seasoned sprinters in a highly competitive edition of the $100,000 Diablo on Sunday at Belmont Park.
Green Gratto, a 7-year-old New Jersey-bred trained by Gaston Grant, scored his first Grade 1 with a gate-to-wire victory in the Carter Handicap on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack, which pushed his earnings to $1.1 million. Seven of the Here's Zealous horse's nine lifetime wins have come at Aqueduct, including five on the inner track. Green Gratto will look to bolster his record at Belmont, where his lone win is a 1 ¾-length victory in June 2015 in a seven-furlong optional claiming contest.
"He's been himself since the Carter, nothing out of the ordinary," said Grant, who co-owns the horse with his brother Anthony. "He's ready to do something. He's been in his stall for a couple of weeks now. He's won over this surface already and he'll bring his A game. He's a nice horse and he takes care of himself."
Chris DeCarlo, aboard for the Carter, will ride again from post 3.
Green Gratto will face a challenge from another local celebrity, the David Jacobson-trained Stallwalkin' Dude, back at his New York base following a troubled trip in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen March 25 at Meydan Racecourse. Claimed as a 4-year-old for $16,000 in September 2014, the City Place gelding has earned the bulk of his 17 career victories and $1.29 million in earnings under Jacobson's care, including victories last year in the Tale of the Cat, Gravesend, and Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap.
"He's been great. He's recovered from the trip [to Dubai]," Jacobson said. "Sometimes horses that make that kind of trip, it takes them a little longer to get over it, so the original plan was not to run him until Saratoga, but he's doing so well we just thought it's better to run him now."
The 7-year-old Florida-bred made his first trip overseas in the Golden Shaheen, where he was jostled early and trapped on the inside through much of the race to finish sixth, 5 ½ lengths behind Mind Your Biscuits.
"He ran very well, but we lost the race at the draw," said Jacobson, who co-owns Stallwalkin' Dude with Head of Plains Partners. "The one post just completely took us out of the race. He didn't break as sharp as he does and he blew a shoe and stumbled the first part. In a race like that, you need everything to go your way, but he still only got beat five lengths in a $2 million race. I'm looking forward to seeing how he runs now."
Jacobson will also saddle the front-running Chief Lion, still looking for his first stakes win. A 7-year-old gelding by Wildcat Heir, Chief Lion led through much of the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap last time out before getting reeled in by Spartiatis on March 11.
"He's a hard-hitting horse," he said. "He's probably a notch under Stallwalkin' Dude, but he's got speed and speed is dangerous, so we'll run them both and see what happens."
Stallwalkin' Dude will be ridden by Joe Bravo from the outside post, while Chief Lion will have the services of Javier Castellano from post 5.
Also on tap for the Diablo are Alex the Terror, winner of the Caixa Electronica on New York Claiming Championship Day, for trainer John Toscano; Life in Shambles, who put together back-to-back wins at Belmont last summer, including one in a turf allowance, for the Steve Asmussen barn; Noholdingback Bear, an eased seventh in the Breeders' Cup Sprint last time out, making his first start for Brian Lynch; Jason Servis-trained Still Krz, who earned a career-high 108 Beyer Speed Figure for a 4 ½-length optional-claiming win on March 4; and Tom Fool winner Spartiatis, a troubled sixth in the Carter in his last start for Leon Blusiewicz.
Also on Sunday, trainer Gary Contessa will enter a formidable pair in Turco Bravo and Tu Brutus in the $100,000 Flat Out for 4-year-olds and up going 1 3/8 miles.
The 8-year-old Turco Bravo won last year's edition of the Flat Out before going on to victory in the Birdstone at Saratoga Race Course in August to end his 2016 season. In three starts this year, he has yet to reach the winner's circle but Contessa believes the hard-knocking veteran will be on the path to redemption this weekend.
"We know he loves the distance and Belmont," said Contessa. "It's taken him a little longer to come around this year but, from a training perspective, he looks fantastic. We were looking for a wake-up call in his last start, but he was rank and a bit keen early. He'll be reunited with [Manny] Franco for the Flat Out, who he won the Stymie with, so they're a good combination."
With Franco aboard, the pair will depart from the rail.
Tu Brutus, who, like his stablemate, is a Chilean-bred owned by Winning Move Stable. The 5-year-old son of Scat Daddy made an impressive first start in North America with a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Excelsior on April 8 where he recorded an impressive 118 Beyer.
"I was originally going to train him for nine weeks going into the [Grade 2] Brooklyn [on June 10], but he's so full of himself right now," added Contessa. "It's kind of the old versus the new with Turco and Tu Brutus. I expect Tu Brutus to be close to the pace and Manny to have Turco Bravo waiting as long as he can, but they're both ready heading into Sunday."
Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Tu Brutus from post 5.
Entering for DARRS, Inc. and trainer Brendan Walsh is multiple graded stakes winner Scuba. A 6-year-old Tapit gelding, Scuba has made only one start this year when he ran sixth in the Grade 3 Ben Ali on April 15 at Keeneland. Last year, he ended his 2016 campaign with three consecutive wins including victories in the Grade 3 Greenwood cup Stakes at Parx and Grade 2 Marathon Stakes at Santa Anita.
Kendrick Carmouche will be in the irons as they depart from post 4.
Rounding out the field is Royal Posse for owners Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables and trainer Rudy Rodgriguez, who will look to rebound off a sixth-place finish in the Stymie on March 12; and Doyouknowsomething for trainer A.C. Avila and owner Roddy Valente, who last out finished third in the Excelsior.
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