Adam Coglianese
Shedding blinkers and returning to the turf for the first time since last October, Grade 3 Gotham runner-up West Hills Giant won the 7-furlong, $100,000 Spectacular Bid in convincing fashion, giving his young sire Frost Giant a sweep of both divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes series for 3-year-olds at Belmont on Sunday.
Favored at 5-2 in the 12-horse field, West Hills Giant was looking to redeem an off-the-board outing in the Mike Lee on June 1 when he went to his nose at the break. Also, after keeping open and/or graded company since last October, the chestnut colt was seeking his first victory since September’s New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes.
Out of the gate virtually last under Hall of Famer Edgar Prado, West Hills Giant advanced and settled down nicely in mid-pack along the backstretch run. Swinging out four wide exiting the turn, the chestnut colt struck the front, kicked away and never looked back, hitting the wire 2 1/2 lengths to the good. Captain Gaughen (Disco Rico), Huge Asset (Freud) and Sunbio (Sunriver) finished noses apart second, third and fourth.
Following swift early splits set by Treblemaker (22.39, 45.27) and three-quarters in 1:09.52, West Hills Giant completed seven furlongs over the firm Widener turf course in 1:21.71. [VIDEO]
Prado said, “He acted up a little in the gate, but then I let him settle so he could catch his rhythm, catch his stride, and once he did that, he started getting closer and closer to the other horses. I was looking for a place to go around the turn. Unfortunately, I couldn’t save ground, so I took him outside. When they turned for home, he really leveled off. He’s a big horse with a nice turn of foot.”
John Terranova, who trains West Hills Giant for Long Island Racing Stables, Sunrise Stables and Gina Bentivegna, said, “He hasn’t been as quick from the gate the last couple of starts, but he had run a route of ground the times before that. They helped today with a quick half-mile, so I’m kind of glad he was sitting back there taking his time so he could get a clear shot and an outside run. It was a nice, smooth race for him. He did everything well.”
Terranova added, “He’s versatile. He absolutely can do both turf and dirt. Which one he’ll be better on, we’ll have to see, but there are a lot of opportunities for New York breds on both surfaces. We’ll try to take advantage of that.”
West Hills Giant, now 3-1-1 from nine starts with $345,069 in earnings, won the New York Breeders’ Futurity last September going six furlongs on dirt on the heels of his maiden victory going long on turf at Saratoga. Debuting this year with a show finish in the open Java Gold, he was an impressive runner-up to Vyjack in the 1 1/16-mile Gotham after setting the pace.
Bred by Robert Castelli, West Hills Giant is the first foal out of Outtawesthills, a New York-bred turf winner also bred by Castelli and trained by Terranova ($39,992). She currently has a 2-year-old filly by Big Brown named Outtacypresshills and a yearling full brother to West Hills Giant.
West Hills Giant’s sire Frost Giant, who stands at Keane Stud for $7,500 live foal, ended the day with Stallion Series bragging rights after Frosty Bay won the Cupecoy’s Joy earlier on the card. The leading freshman sire in New York in 2012, Frost Giant set a new record for New York first crop progeny earnings ($840,633).
