Hymn Book won the $500,000, Grade 1 Donn Handicap on Saturday, defeating a field that also included Preakness winner Shackleford and Belmont champion Ruler On Ice.
Hymn Book ran 1-1/8 miles in 1 minute, 49.16 seconds and returned $15 for a $2 win bet. Mission Impazible was second, and Redemeemed was third.
Trickmeister set the pace, followed by Shackleford as Hymn Book ran well behind for most of the race. The 6-year-old made a push around the far turn, racing five wide, and then finished strong down the stretch to edge Mission Impazible by a nose at the finish.
''It worked out perfect,'' Hymn Book's jockey, John Velazquez, said. ''He broke well enough to save some ground into the first turn, and I was able to kind of give up a little bit at the quarter pole. When I pulled him out, he came running. He put up a good fight down the stretch.''
Trickmeister and Shackleford both faded down the stretch and finished sixth and seventh. Ruler On Ice was never a factor and finished eighth.
''This was a good field,'' Hymn Book's trainer, Shug McGaughey, said. ''We were concerned about the post position (10 of 11), and he kind of got caught out there on the first turn, but then got a good position down the backstretch. Johnny has always had a lot of confidence in him. He trained great for this race.''
It was a surprise to see Shackleford fade the way he did, considering past strong performances, but there was not an immediate reason for his sub-par race.
''He came back fine,'' trainer Dale Romans said of Shackleford. ''That's all I know right now.''
In other graded stakes at Gulfstream on Saturday, Thunder Moccasin ($2.40 to win), won the Grade 2, $150,000 Hutcheson for 3-year olds; Snow Top Mountain ($11) won the Grade 3, $150,00 Suwannee River for older fillies and mares; and Get Stormy ($7.20) won the Grade 1, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap.
