Fair Grounds Barn Notes: Friday, December 2

By Michael Adolphson —-

• Cambodia Wins Like a Good Thing
• Mo Tom Returns to Fair Grounds after Freshening
• Keep Talking Doing Well
• $1.35M Colt Tour De Force Debuts Sunday
• Work Tab

CAMBODIA WINS LIKE A GOOD THING

Winter Quarter Farm’s Cambodia dismantled a field of quality turf fillies and mares Thursday afternoon in a second-level allowance. Ridden by Florent Geroux, the Tom Proctor trainee cut the corner and capitalized on an opening at the rail, forging clear with authority and ultimately coming home 5¼ lengths in front in little more than a canter at the wire of the 1 1/16-miles event. Her time was a swift 1:41.68 over the firm turf.

“We’ve always liked her,” said Lindsay Schultz, assistant to Proctor. “We got her this summer at Fair Hill (Training Center) and we worked her for a couple months then ran her once at Laurel (Park) and she won that impressively. Then she did it again yesterday.

“She makes the job easy,” Schultz continued. “She can be tough to ride, but she’s tough because she’s that good. I’m unsure what we’ll do next. We will give her a few days, but I’m sure (Proctor) will make plans soon enough.”

Cambodia is a 4-year-old daughter of War Front who now has three consecutive victories. She was formerly with trainer Ben Colebrook, for whom she graduated three back at Tampa Bay Downs last December.

MO TOM RETURNS TO FAIR GROUNDS AFTER FRESHENING

G M B Racing’s local favorite Mo Tom returned to the barn of Tom Amoss on Thursday and will point to a 4-year-old campaign for his New Orleans-based team.

“He just got in and he’s doing well,” Amoss said. “He spent time at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky and he looks great.”

A winner of four of 10 starts and $603,526, the graded stakes-winning son of Uncle Mo is due some good luck in 2017 after terrible trips cost him dearly in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes, Grade II Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby and Grade I Kentucky Derby. He finished third, fourth and eighth in those events.

Mo Tom did manage to win two stakes during the season, the local Grade III Lecomte Stakes and Listed Ohio Derby at Thistledown. He was last seen finishing a lackluster fifth in the Grade III Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. Three of his four wins have been in stakes company.

KEEP TALKING DOING WELL

Brereton C. Jones’ impressive 2-year-old Keep Talking turned in his first move since galloping away from his foes in a six-furlong maiden on Nov. 20. The son of Ghostzapper has made a favorable impression in the mornings and continued to do so with a half-mile in 49.80 on the morning of Dec. 1 for trainer Tom Proctor.

“He came out of his race fine and I think he just needs to mature and grow up,” said Lindsay Schultz, who heads Proctor’s local string. “He’s doing well and there’s obviously (the Sugar Bowl) Stakes to look at, but he could stretch out. Tom will make that decision.”

Proctor has split his ranks this winter between Florida and Louisiana, with 20 stalls utilized at the Fair Grounds.

“We brought some good horses,” Schultz concluded. “We really hope to do well with them.”

$1.35M COLT TOUR DE FORCE DEBUTS SUNDAY

The final race of the Fair Grounds race-week will be one worth noting on Sunday. Going as the ninth race with a 5:23 CST post, the six-furlong event for 3-year-olds and upward features the career debut of John C. Oxley and Kinsman Farm’s Tour de Force.

A son of Tiznow out of Grade I winner Dream Supreme, the bay 3-year-old colt is a half-brother to Grade I-winning useful sire Majestic Warrior and cost $1.35 million at Keeneland’s September 2014 Yearling Sale. Trained by Mark Casse, Tour de Force has a steady stream of strong works, including a 59.40 five-furlong gate move on Nov. 20. Robby Albarado rides from post three.

A pair of debuting Tapit colts, one 4-year-old and a sophomore, also present intrigue in the $41,000 event. Brereton C. Jones’ Larry Jones-trained Biogenic, out of Canadian champion Biofuel, has also been working well. Aglimpseofgabby, owned by Energy Solutions Consultants LLC and trained by Dallas Keen, was a $250,000 Keeneland September 2013 Yearling Sale purchase and is out of Steve Klesaris-trained graded stakes winner Livin Lovin. Those two break from posts five and four, respectively.

Worth watching in the event are the Harry T. Rosenblum’s Super Numerator (Miguel Mena, rail), from the always-dangerous Wayne Catalano barn, and First Offer (Colby Hernandez, post two), a $150,000 OBS April purchase who exits a bullet 47.40 half-mile gate work on Nov. 28 for trainer Al Stall, Jr. and Columbine Stable.

WORK TAB

Graded stakes winner Albano continued to work toward a 6-year-old campaign for Brereton C. Jones and Larry Jones, working five furlongs in 1:02.80.

Classic-placed Tale of Verve worked a half-mile in 49.80 for trainer Dallas Stewart and owner Charles Fipke. He exits a seventh-place effort in the Grade II Marathon Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard, Nov. 4.

Turf stakes specialist Galton worked a sharp half-mile in 48.40 for trainer Tom Amoss. The Midwest Thoroughbreds-owned son of Offlee Wild was fourth in a one-mile stretch out over the Churchill Downs turf last out. Two back he was a smart third in the Grade III Woodford Stakes behind 2015 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victor Mongolian Saturday.