Gosger Set For Seasonal Debut

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Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables' Gosger (Nyquist), who won last year's GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes before taking a pair of heartbreaking defeats behind Journalism (Curlin) in Grade I company, makes his 4-year-old debut in a two-turn allowance with an option to enter for a $125,000 claiming tag Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park.The homebred son of Gloria S. (Tapit), a half-brother to Grade I winner Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah), won the Lexington in just his third career start for Brendan Walsh and looked every bit a winner of the GI Preakness Stakes, only to be tagged on the wire after an other-worldly finish from Journalism. Having passed the Belmont Stakes, Gosger was a 6-1 chance in the GI Haskell Invitational Stakes and once again led late before just failing to hold off Journalism.Sixth in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September, the gray was third in trying older horses for the first time in the GIII Fayette Stakes at Keeneland the following month and was a wide sixth behind Magnitude (Not This Time) in the Nov. 28 GII Clark Stakes when last spotted. The blinkers he wore on that occasion come off on Saturday.“It's a good spot,” Walsh said. “He's been down here all winter and he's been working well. The intention was always to give him a run kind of around now and hopefully prepare him for the year ahead. He's doing well. We backed off of him for a while and we've had him back working. He's been working really good, actually, so we're looking forward to Saturday with him.”While non-committal about exactly what 2026 will look like going forward, Walsh is expecting big things from his charge.“We'll just take it as it comes. You'd hope that he'd be right up there with the best of them and be able to compete at the highest level,” Walsh said. “I'd have to say the last month has really given me hope with the horse. He's really, really come on a lot and I'm glad we backed off and gave him a chance. He had a long year last year, but he was pretty consistent the whole way through to the last race. Hopefully the freshening will do him good and we'll see a good display from him on Saturday.”Gosger figures to jump at odds far skinnier than his 6-5 morning line. He breaks from the rail with Dylan Davis in the irons for the first time.The post Gosger Set For Seasonal Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.