Tackleberry evades sack by Dream Maestro in Hooper

Tackleberry (inside) would not be denied in the Hooper (Jim Lisa Photos) Luis Olivares’ TACKLEBERRY (Montbrook), the long-time leader in Saturday’s $100,000 Fred W. Hooper H. (G3) at Calder, repelled a challenge in deep stretch from Dream Maestro (Concerto), an older rival who had run second or third 23 times with just three career victories, to take the 1 1/8-mile contest by a nose under Javier Santiago. One of three sophomores in the field of eight, Tackleberry returned $15.40, $8.20 and $4.20 as the 6-1 fifth choice. Sent to the lead from his inside post, Tackleberry was never allowed much breathing room but was able to set moderate fractions. Under steady pressure from Cash Rules (Peace Rules) for the opening six furlongs, Tackleberry held a half-length advantage over that rival while clocking splits of :24, :48 3/5 and 1:14 1/5. Those two put some distance between themselves and the rest of the field down the backside, but the remainder caught up approaching the quarter pole.

With two furlongs remaining, Cash Rules began to drop out of contention while
the looming danger, Dream Maestro, advanced along the inside. Turning for home,
Dream Maestro moved off the rail and split Tackleberry and Chirac (Sligo Bay
[Ire]), who made a brief outside bid he could not sustain. Through the stretch,
Dream Maestro appeared to be getting the upper hand over his younger rival, but
in the final yards his tendency to settle for minor awards reared its ugly head
and Tackleberry was able to get the nod in a head-bobbing finish. Tackleberry
completed the race in a pokey 1:54 2/5 over a fast track.

Dream Maestro, the 26-1 longest shot, gave back $20.40 and $6.80 while
completing the $261.80 exacta. Mambo Meister (King Cugat), the 8-5 favorite,
made a mild outside bid to land third, three lengths behind Dream Maestro, and
returned $2.60. The trifecta was worth $649.40 and the 1-4-7-5 superfecta with
Chirac, a half-length behind Mambo Meister, gave back $3,503.

King Ghidorah (Black Mambo), Imperial Council (Empire Maker), Cash Rules and
St. Maximus Gato (Tactical Cat) rounded out the order of finish.

“I knew he won it,” said Olivares, who also trains the gelding, in reference
to the photo-finish. “I told the kid (Santiago) before the race to let him go
and take the lead. I said ‘He’ll fight back when he needs to,’ and he did.

“I bought him privately as a two-year-old and then had to take a chip out of
his knee, which is why he didn’t start until July. He had won at a mile here,
but I ran in this race to see if he’d get to the mile and an eighth and he did.
That was the objective and now I’ll point him for the Sunshine Millions
(Classic) at Gulfstream (on January 29).”

An 11-length maiden winner on September 10 in his third start, Tackleberry
won two of his next three starts in allowance company before making a successful
stakes debut in the November 13 Jack Dudley Sprint H. on Florida Millions Day.
In that six-furlong dash, Tackleberry made the early lead and drew off easily to
win by 5 1/4 lengths while coming off a one-week rest. This second stakes
triumph during the the Tropical meet boosted his lifetime earnings to $207,225
from a line of 8-5-2-0.

Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Tackleberry was produced by the unraced Box of
Joy (Concerto), making him a half-brother to the stakes-placed Trippin Star
(Trippi). Box of Joy, who has also reared a yearling filly and a weanling colt
by Discreet Cat, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Outofthebox (Montbrook),
stakes winner Ruff and Ready (More Than Ready), and the stakes-placed producer
Unlimited Pleasure (Valid Appeal), the dam of Grade 3 winners Jardin (Montbrook)
and Beacon Shine (Montbrook). This is the extended family of Grade 1 winners
Mighty Appealing (Valid Appeal) and Songandaprayer (Unbridled’s Song) as well as
Tackleberry’s noted sire Montbrook (Buckaroo).