STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH
Coming off his win
in the Oct. 7 Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland,
J. Paul Reddam's 2-year-old Great
Hunter (APTITUDE)
turned in a steady 1:14, working a quarter in
:26 3/5 and the remaining half in 47 4/5 in preparation for
the Bessemer Trust Juvenile.
"He brings it every
time you ask him," said O'Neill, who won the 2005 Juvenile with
Stevie Wonderboy. "He's an extremely special horse, very classy,
and he covers a lot of ground. He's got the pedigree to do well and
we're very excited about him. He's our miniature Lava Man; they
train a lot alike."
O'Neill sees some similarities between Great Hunter and Stevie
Wonderboy, who gave the trainer his first Breeders' Cup win last
year in the Juvenile.
"He's an extremely special horse and has a lot of similarities
[to Stevie Wonderboy]," said O'Neill, who is based at Hollywood
Park. "He's very classy and seems like an older horse and covers a
lot of ground. Unlike Stevie, he's already won around two
turns.
O'Neill's horses will ship to Churchill on Sunday, and
according to the trainer's brother, Dennis O'Neill, the hardest
part is over. "It was a great morning," he said. "Now we just have
to get them all to Chuchill in one piece."
Date:
27 October 2006