MR. MISUNDERSTOOD PUTS UNDEFEATED TURF STREAK ON THE LINE IN GR. III FAIR GROUNDS HANDICAP

By Ryan Martin —-

12/30/2017 – Mr. Misunderstood with jockey Shaun Bridgmohan aboard leades the pack down the stretch to capture the 32nd running of the Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

MR. MISUNDERSTOOD PUTS UNDEFEATED TURF STREAK ON THE LINE IN GR. III FAIR GROUNDS HANDICAP; HOLDING GOLD MAKES 5-YEAR-OLD DEBUT IN COLONEL POWER OVERNIGHT STAKES

NEW ORLEANS (February 14, 2018) – Staton Flurry’s Mr. Misunderstood will look to keep two good things going in Saturday’s Gr. III $150,000 Fair Grounds Handicap. The 4-year-old son of Archarcharch will be going for a sixth consecutive stakes victory as well as a continuous perfect record on grass when he emerges from post six at odds of 3-1 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth event on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course.

In eight starts on grass, Mr. Misunderstood has found the winner’s circle every time. His octet of grass triumphs have taken place over four different surfaces. He broke his maiden second time out over the lawn at Indiana Grand Race Course, and two starts later gave jockey Florent Geroux his 1,000th career victory when racing for a $30,000 tag over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course in December 2016. He stepped up in class for his next start to win an allowance optional claiming event over the Fair Grounds lawn. Following a seventh-place effort in the Gr. III Illinois Derby, Mr. Misunderstood began his current winning streak when he won a pair of stakes events over the Louisiana Downs grass – the Super Derby Prelude on Aug. 5 and the Super Derby on Sept. 9. He then shipped to his base at Churchill Downs where he scored another duo of stakes wins in the Gr. III Jefferson Cup on Sept. 20 and the Commonwealth Turf Stakes on Nov. 11. Last time out, he won his fifth straight race in the Fair Grounds’ Woodchopper Stakes on Dec. 30.

Mr. Misunderstood is trained by Brad Cox who also trains High Noon Rider (post nine, Shaun Bridgmohan, 6-1) and won the 2015-16 runnings of the Fair Grounds Handicap with Chocolate Ride.

“(Mr. Misunderstood) is training really well,” Cox said. “His last two works have been fantastic and he had a great work (Saturday) morning. He couldn’t be doing any better. He’s definitely stepping up a little bit; he hasn’t faced the talent or the depth that he’s going to face on Saturday. The first time against older horses tend to be deeper water and this will be the deepest water that he’s been in. He looks amazing, he’s happy and he’s doing great mentally and physically.”

Other contenders in the field include Synchrony, who has not raced since last May where he was second in Monmouth Park’s Gr. III Red Bank Stakes. Owned by Pink Oak Stable and trained by Mike Stidham, the son of Tapit is out of eight-time stakes winning broodmare Brownie Points. Synchrony began his career under the care of trainer Donnie Von Hemel, where he raced on the main track and was third behind Collected in the Gr. III Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. He transferred over to Stidham’s barn at the beginning of last year where he began running on the turf and has never been worse than second in three starts on grass. He defeated 2016 Queen Plate winner Sir Dudley Digges in his turf debut over the local going and ran second in his two following performances – the Red Bank and the Henry Clark Stakes at Laurel Park, where he was a half-length behind eventual Gr. I Manhattan Handicap winner Ascend. Synchrony will be guided by jockey Joe Bravo and will break from the eight hole at 9-2 odds.

Michael M. Hui’s Galton (post three, Javier Castellano, 5-1) has been very consistent, even when stepping up against stakes company. The 7-year-old son of Offlee Wild will be looking for his first stakes win since the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint Stakes at Sam Houston back in 2016. Trained by Mike Maker, he enters the race off of a pair of runner-up finishes against stakes company. In December, he was beaten three-quarters of a length behind Shakhimat in the Gr. III Tropical Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Most recently, he finished a half-length behind Tower of Texas in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course. Galton boasts career earnings of $501,990 and in 39 career starts has made 11 trips to the winner’s circle, which is more than any other horse in the Fair Grounds Handicap field. None of those 11 wins have taken place at the Fair Grounds, however. In eight starts over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course, he is still searching for his first local victory. Nevertheless, he has run second five of his eight Fair Grounds starts with one third-place finish. Mike Maker won last year’s edition of the Fair Grounds Handicap with Enterprising.

Rounding out the field are Thatcher Street (post one, Brian Hernandez, Jr., 12-1), Zulu Alpha (post two, Miguel Mena, 20-1), One Mean Man (post four, Robby Albarado, 12-1), Granny’s Kitten (post five, Julien Leparoux, 8-1), Applicator (post seven, Jack Gilligan, 12-1) Tiz A Slam (post ten, Corey Lanerie, 20-1), Great Wide Open (Ire.) (post 11, Adam Beschizza, 20-1), Catcho En Die (Arg.) (post 12, John Velazquez, 8-1).

Live Oak Planation’s Holding Gold makes his seasonal bow in Saturday’s $50,000 Colonel Power Overnight Stakes, a five-and-half-furlong event over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course.

The 5-year-old son of Lonhro (Aus.) last ran in the Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4 where he finished seventh only beaten 1¾ lengths. He was beaten by the same amount in his two starts prior, which took place in the Gr. II Turf Monster Stakes at Parx Racing where he finished sixth and Saratoga’s Troy Stakes on Aug. 6. Last spring, he took the Gr. III Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland over graded stakes winners Green Mask and Hogy. Trainer Mark Casse is using the Colonel Power as a prep for a possible start in the Al Quoz Sprint (UAE-I) at Meydan Racecourse on Mar. 31. He breaks from the five hole as the 8-5 morning line favorite under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

Challenging the favorite is Klein Racing’s Will Call (post 11, Shaun Bridgmohan, 6-1), who is undefeated in two starts on grass, but will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s race. Both starts took place over the Fair Grounds lawn at Colonel Power’s five-and-a-half furlong distance. The son of Country Day started his career off on the main track and won by an eye-opening 13¼ lengths first time out at Indiana Grand. Three starts back, he made his first start in ten months on Nov. 26 when finishing third in an allowance race over the Fair Grounds main track

“He’s accomplished a lot in six starts and has a really nice race record underneath of him,” Cox said. “He’s obviously lightly raced compared to a lot of these other horses in that race. He got a good draw and he obviously likes the turf course down here. (Jockey) Shaun (Bridgmohan) rides him really well. He’s going to run his race.”

Rounding out the field for the Colonel Power Overnight Stakes is Chubilicious (post one, Jose Valdivia, Jr., 6-1), Partly Mocha (post two, Javier Castellano, 15-1), Flashaway (post three, Corey Lanerie, 20-1), Kissthatbabygoodby (post four, Brian Hernandez, Jr., 12-1), Commend (post six, Robby Albarado, 9-2), Balandeen (post seven, Adam Beschizza, 20-1), Imma Bling (post eight, Joe Bravo, 12-1), Edens Grey Kitten (post nine, Florent Geroux, 20-1), Line Judge (post ten, Julien Leparoux, 15-1), and Whiskey Bravo (post 11, Mitchell Murrill, 15-1).

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN); it also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 11 off-track betting parlors throughout southeast Louisiana. The 146th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 105th running of the Louisiana Derby – will run from November 18, 2017 through March 31, 2018. More information can be found online at www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com.