It’s rare in modern American racing to find a horse that excels on the grass at the distance of a mile and a half. Give the sprint/mile/dirt focus of the large majority of racing in the country, fewer and fewer horses are bred to be top-class runners at the classic turf distance of 12 furlongs. In that respect, Point of Entry (winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park) is a bit of a throwback runner.
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic 2012: Point Of Entry Much The Best (Video)
Sent off as the 3/5 favorite, Point of Entry and jockey John Velazquez were content to sit just off the early speed of Arlington Million winner Little Mile through the first half mile. Irish raider Treasure Beach (GB) and Jaime Spencer decided to take matters into their own hands as the field exited the back stretch, moving up to challenge the lead and putting pressure on Point of Entry to keep up or be left behind. The challenge extended by Treasure Beach only prolonged the inevitable; Point of Entry drew even with Treasure Beach after coming off the far turn and put away his rival inside the final furlong.
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