JUVENILES MAKING THEIR MARK
Great Hunter - By Michael Hammersley of Daily
Racing Form
Perhaps lost in E Z Warrior's wake was the performance of this colt
in the Hollywood Juvenile. Great Hunter had won his first two
starts impressively at Lone Star Park in the spring, then was
privately purchased by J. Paul Reddam and transferred to trainer
Doug O'Neill's care prior to the Hollywood Juvenile. A son of
long-winded Kentucky Derby runner-up Aptitude, he was slow into stride in the
Juvenile but made a strong wide run, briefly ranging up alongside
the eventual winner. But while E Z Warrior made room between horses
and found a much shorter way home, Great Hunter was pitched out
very wide. He wasn't going to beat the winner regardless, but
certainly could have finished closer.
O'Neill showed last year with Stevie Wonderboy
that he knows how to handle a top juvenile, and Great Hunter holds
tons of promise as the furlongs increase and the months tick down
to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Date:
17 July 2006