Hugadragon

[Elgin]

Hugadragon, who won the Bluegrass, Tattersalls, Matron and Keystone Classic last year, toyed with a short five-horse preferred field at The Meadows eleven days ago, winning in :51. They

[Elgin]

Hugadragon (Palone) was handicapped with the nine post in a preferred pace at The Meadows today. A scratch moved him in a slot, but he still had to go an opening quarter in :26 to make the top. Palone kept his foot on the gas: :53.4 to the half and 1:21.1 to the three-quarters.

Fatigue finally set in by the last quarter which went in a leisurely :29.1. Jojo N Goliath put a scare into Palone at the end, getting a close second. Schoolkids was third in the :50.2 mile.

[Wilderness]

Another two steps and he wouldn't have been toying with JoJo

[Elgin]

Another two steps and he wouldn't have been toying with JoJo

Was Palone told to get him primed for bigger and better things? After working to loop the field in a :26 opening quarter you'd expect the second to be :29 or so, not :27.4. And toss a :27.2 third quarter on top of that for no good reason. No wonder he was coming back to them.