Howe Great

Four consecutive wins on turf have carried Howe Great into the
Triple Crown series picture, and he is expected to make his final
start before the Kentucky Derby in the Blue Grass on Polytrack at
Keeneland. Howe Great does not have a win on dirt - the Derby
surface - but neither did his Team Valor International stablemate
Animal Kingdom before he captured the Run for the Roses last year.
The Kentucky-bred colt has an international flavor in his pedigree.
He is a son of Hat Trick - hence the use of Howe for hockey great
Gordie Howe - a Japanese-bred by the Hall of Famer Sunday Silence
out of a South African mare, Ginger Sea. Team Valor International
president Barry Irwin owns the mare and bred the colt. Irwin
briefly owned the stallion, which he sold to Walmac International.
Hat Trick now stands at Gainesway Farm. Howe Great finished second
in his debut in September on dirt and won his next start in October
on grass. He earned an allowance victory on grass in December and
then won a pair of stakes on turf, the Kitten's Joy and the Grade 3
Palm Beach.