Clever Trevor Preview: Hulen Favored to Help Asmussen Repeat

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Texas-bred Hulen, one of two entries from Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, is favored to help his barn repeat last year’s success in Friday’s $60,000 Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park.

Named for the Oklahoma-bred millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner, the Clever Trevor is a 7-furlong dirt sprint restricted to 2-year-olds. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 9-race card and has a local post time of 11:23 PM.

Here’s a look at the full field for the Clever Trevor:

1. Hulen 5/2 – The slight morning line favorite broke his maiden on debut against open company rivals at Churchill Downs, then competed in 4 straight stakes, finishing third in the most recent 3. He earned a career-best 68 Beyer Speed Figure in the Kip Deville Stakes last time out, putting him among the best here, and trainer Steve Asmussen won last year’s race.

2. Game Day Play 3/1 – He returns looking for a better trip after enduring a five-wide trip and finishing a disappointing fifth as the 3/5 favorite in the Kip Deville. Prior to that, he fought gamely to break his maiden in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Lone Star, and though he’s stretching out to the longest distance of his career, he’s bred to handle this distance.

3. Gushing Oil 4/1 – He broke his maiden impressively on debut in a local 6-furlong sprint, rallying from seventh to win by 2 lengths while under today’s jockey Lane Luzzi. He earned a field-best 71 Beyer Speed Figure and has every reason to improve as he makes his second career start. Trainer Danny Pish has a 17% success rate with last-out maiden-breaking juveniles.

4. Carpe Luna 6/1 – The second Asmussen-trained entry showed little interest in his career debut, finishing a well-beaten seventh in a 6-furlong dash over the local dirt. He seemed to wake up when he stretched out to a mile just 8 days later, winning by 3 1/2 lengths in a field that had a next-out winner, and has proven that he likes racing here.

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5. Bobby Brinkley 5/1 – The field’s only 2-time winner broke his maiden at by 10 1/2 lengths while facing fellow Texas-breds at Lone Star in his second career start. He faltered in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, finishing behind five rivals, including Hulen (third), but he returned to form last time out with a 3-length score in a local 6 1/2-furlong optional claiming sprint.

6. Red N Wild 10/1 – He broke his maiden at second asking in a 5 1/2-furlong try over this course in August, then set the pace in the Kip Deville before giving way in the stretch and crossing fourth. He has led at the 1/2-mile call in each of his 3 career starts, so expect to see him run prominently early and try to hold them all off in the stretch.

7. Stans Hookin Bull 20/1 – The longest shot in the field broke his maiden at second asking while facing fellow Texas-breds in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint at Lone Star. He suffered double-digit defeats in both the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity and the same optional claiming sprint that Bobby Brinkley won, but perhaps stretching out to this distance will turn him back around.

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