BOSS MAN ran way better than his fourth-place finish suggests, 15 lengths down the track behind Gold Cup-winner RIDEALLDAY, with whom he had tried matching strides from the half-mile marker but was left behind when the grey went after THE PRINCE’S SPUR and PACK PLAYS coming off the home turn.
Far from disgraced on his grade-one debut, BOSS MAN steps back down to open-allowance level for Saturday’s Pinktober Trophy at six and a half furlongs, facing a pair of Americans, who will be trying to make all, speedy PEPPER STEPPER and WAR TO REMEMBER, a four-year-old gelding making his local debut.
In a pace which should collapse, BOSS MAN and fellow local-bred, seven-year-old RAINSVILLE could get the drop on the Americans, who are both inclined to sprint.
WAR TO REMEMBER started his North American trek on the synthetic track at Woodbine in Canada, tried and failed on the turf before hopping the border to Santa Anita, where he placed second on dirt and third on the turf.
A move to Gulfstream Park won him his only race but on the synthetic track, 1:04.3 at five and a half furlongs in April. WAR TO REMEMBER’s efforts on dirt in Florida were underwhelming, suggesting he should face similar issues on his local debut.
BOSS MAN’s 10-length win on July 25, blowing away Americans I’M JUST A GIRL and WALL STREET TRADER at six and a half furlongs, clocking 1:16.2, before his brave run in the Gold Cup, franked his previous victory, 1:23.4 for seven furlongs in the Hubert Bartley Memorial.
PEPPER STEPPER will try running rivals off their feet but is suspect past six furlongs, leaving him at the mercy of BOSS MAN and RAINSVILLE, who ran really well for second behind DESERT OF MALIBU, eventually handed the race in the stewards’ room.
BOSS MAN’s eye-catching Gold Cup run and previous romp against I’M JUST A GIRL and WALL STREET TRADER wins Peter-John Parsard’s local-bred the nod.
