Urlacher Seeks Diploma & Grade I

Godolphin homebred Urlacher (Discreet Cat) has been knocking at the door of graduation in his previous four starts and looks to earn both his diploma and a win at the highest level Saturday in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity.

Urlacher crossed the wire first last time out in a one-mile test at Del Mar Nov. 15, but was disqualified and placed second behind the reopposing Sorryaboutnothing (Repent) after drifting out in deep stretch.

“In that last race, Bob [Baffert] had three in the race, and one of them, I think Victor Espinoza's horse [Uninvited (Misremembered)], gunned away from there and if we didn't commit to go with the horse, we were going to let the horse get away with an easy lead,” trainer Eoin Harty said when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon. “We basically did the grunt work for everyone else. He got a little tired, he got a little green in the stretch. It was a whole new race track to him. He hadn't run down there during that winter meet, so he was a little green and a little tired and I think that explained the wandering around in the latter part of the race.”

Harty continued, “I think if he had retained win, nobody would have given a second thought. It would have been a natural progression to go into this race. He has run some very good races against some very good company up to this point. I think he is worthy of a shot at it.”

Second on debut sprinting at Del Mar Aug. 29, Urlacher finished third behind subsequent Speakeasy S. runner-up Street Vision (Street Sense) and GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. runner-up Mor Spirit (Eskendereya), who also returns in this spot, in a 6 1/2-furlong event at Santa Anita Sept. 27. The bay finished behind Mor Spirit once again next out when extended to a mile in Arcadia Oct. 23, and Harty feels his charge will enjoy the little bit of added distance in the Los Alamitos Futurity.

“He absolutely [wants to go further],” Harty commented. “They all have distance limitations sooner or later, but I don't see a mile and a sixteenth being a problem for him. He acts like a horse that will stay and he is proven around two turns, so I think it's a matter of just whether he is good enough.”

The conditioner added, “I think he deserves a shot. He has been running with this caliber of horse through out his brief career and it's not like I'm really reaching for the stars here.”

Urlacher breezed five furlongs in 1:00.82 (8/82) at Santa Anita Sunday in preparation for Saturday's test.

“I was going to work him on Monday, but we had a lot of rain in the forecast and it did come, so I moved his work up a day,” Harty remarked. “He has always been a very good work horse. If he didn't work very, very well as he always does, I wouldn't have entered him. It was another good work from a horse that always produced good works.”

Jockey James Graham, who has been aboard Urlacher for all of his previous starts, will retain the mount Saturday.

“I'm going to stick with James Graham,” Harty said. “He has done nothing wrong. I've got a lot of faith in James. He rides very, very well for me. I've got complete confidence in my jockey.”

Los Alamitos, which previously only held Quarter Horse racing, is known for being a tricky course and Harty is hoping his pupil draws an inside post.

“Los Al is a very different shaped track to just about anywhere in North America,” the trainer said. “When you are going two turns, it's very beneficial in my opinion to be drawn down inside when you are breaking very sharply into a sharp turn. If I draw inside, I will be very happy.”