Fair Grounds Barn Notes: Telekinesis Steps Up Against Elders In Friday Allowance Event

By Ryan Martin —-

Wonder Gadot, Valadorna Breeze In Company
• Howard Going ‘From Kindergarten Into First Grade’ With Maiden Winner Crosswalk
• Awesome Saturday Stretches Out In Sunday Allowance

TELEKINESIS STEPS UP AGAINST ELDERS IN FRIDAY ALLOWANCE EVENT

One does not always see a 3-year-old step up against older horses as early as March, but promising sophomore Telekinesis will do just that on Friday, Mar. 9 in a mile-and-a-sixteenth allowance event over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots main track.

The Stonestreet Stables LLC-owned and Mark Casse trained son of Ghostzapper worked a half-mile in :48.00 on Saturday morning, the sixth fastest of 109 recorded works at the distance. He won his six-furlong career debut last time out over the New Orleans oval on Feb. 9. Casse’s assistant David Carroll believes that two turns is what Telekinesis will end up being best at and on Friday, he’ll have a chance to prove his connections correct.

“We’re not thrilled about having to take on older horses but he’s doing very well,” Carroll said “We’re looking forward to getting him around two turns. We’re looking at the big picture, not just this race so hopefully it will serve its purpose for us and hopefully he’ll run a big race.”

Should Telekinesis run the race that Carroll is hoping for, he would likely see stakes action later this spring.

“If he were to run a big race we’d aim for a race like the (Gr. III $200,000) Stonestreet (Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 14),” Carroll said. “They own the horse and they’d love to have a horse good enough to run and win it. Hopefully he’ll fit the bill there. It’s one race at a time and he’ll tell us what he can or can’t do. We’re focused on the allowance race and let him tell us what stake from there.”

Telekinesis was a $470,000 purchase from the Keeneland November Sale in 2015. His dam, Intentional Cry is out of six-time graded stakes winner Gold Mover. He breaks from post six under Florent Geroux

Casse and Stonestreet Stables also are represented in Friday’s race by Chaos Theory (post five, Brian Hernandez, Jr.) a 3-year-old son of Curlin who was bought for $260,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2015.

WONDER GADOT, VALADORNA BREEZE IN COMPANY

Gary Barber’s two-time graded stakes winner Wonder Gadot returned to the work tab on Saturday morning following a third-place effort in the Gr. II Rachel Alexandra Stakes behind Monomoy Girl.

The Ontario-bred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro breezed a half-mile in company with stable mate Valadorna. Both Mark Casse trainees went the distance in :48.80.

“It was just maintenance, she was very fit and we’re looking for a good race out of her,” said assistant trainer David Carroll, who indicated that the Gr. II $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (100-50-20-10) would likely be her next target.

Wonder Gadot is currently No. 4 on the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard with 24 points. As she continues to take aim on the Road To The Kentucky Oaks, work mate Valadorna is pointing towards the Gr. III $100,000 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 20. The 4-year-old daughter of Curlin last ran in the Gr. III Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston, where she was sixth.

Other notable works on Saturday include John C. Oxley’s Ride A Comet, who went five furlongs in 1:00.60 for the Casse barn. The 3-year-old son of Candy Ride (Arg.) was entered in Saturday’s $50,000 Black Gold Overnight Stakes, but will scratch and instead will run in the Gr. III $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (20-8-4-2) at Turfway Park on Mar. 17….. Fair Grounds leading trainer Brad Cox sent out Mr. Misunderstood and Will Call to the track on Saturday morning for half-mile breezes. Owned by Staton Flurry, Mr. Misunderstood completed his four-furlong work in :49.00, his first serious move since suffering his first loss on turf in the Gr. III Fair Grounds Handicap, where he was second behind Synchrony. Stable mate Will Call worked his half-mile in 51.80 which was his first breeze since a runner-up effort behind Holding Gold in the Colonel Power Overnight Stakes on Feb. 17…. Fern Circle Stables’ Silverbulletday Stakes winner Stronger Than Ever worked five furlongs in 1:03.60 for trainer Kenny McPeek in preparation for next Saturday’s Gr. III 200,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park (50-20-10-5)…. Newton Anner Stud’s recent allowance winner Dark Templar went a half-mile in :49.00 for trainer Brendan Walsh and is a possible starter for the Gr. II $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (100-40-20-10) on Mar. 24….. Brad Grady and Carl R. Moore Management LLC’s two time Fair Grounds stakes winner Mom’s On Strike went a half-mile in :49.80 for trainer Joe Sharp.

HOWARD GOING FROM ‘KINDERGARTEN INTO FIRST GRADE’ WITH MAIDEN WINNER CROSSWALK

Third time was the charm for William S. Farish’s Crosswalk, who broke his maiden on Friday afternoon in his first start since September, where he finished a head behind promising 3-year-old Quip.

Trainer Neil Howard plans on taking his time with the son of City Zip who will likely make his next start in an a-other-than allowance event. Crosswalk is out of graded stakes winner Reunited, a mare that was also owned and trained by the same connections.

“We’ll look to run him either the end of the meet here or at Keeneland,” Howard said. We’ve always been encouraged with him. He came up with a minor problem in the back ankle after that second start, that’s why he was on the bench for a while. I trained his mother so it’s a nice family and he trained well. We’ll take the next step with him, just go from kindergarten to first grade and give him a chance.”

Crosswalk was guided by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

AWESOME SATURDAY STRETCHES OUT IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE

Chuck Hovitz’s Awesome Saturday fired off the bench last time out in his turf debut on Jan. 25 and will return to the Stall-Wilson Turf Course for Sunday’s eighth race, a one mile allowance event.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, the 4-year-old son of Any Given Saturday shortened back to 5½ furlongs is his most recent effort, which was his first start since a well-beaten fifth in the Gr. II Indiana Derby on Jul. 15.

Awesome Saturday proved to be quite useful during his sophomore campaign having being narrowly beaten by stakes winners Colonelsdarktemper and No Mo Dough at Churchill Downs in the spring. He followed such efforts with a three-length allowance win over the Louisville oval. Given his experience on dirt, Calhoun sees a return to the main track in the horse’s future.

“Really our goal is to run him two turns on the dirt,” Calhoun said. “We wanted to see how good he was at two turns on the dirt and try to give us some guidance what direction to go in the future and what might be best. I think he’s a nice horse and we’ll find out what he’s best at. Obviously he liked the grass last time fine and he’s shown that he can go two turns in the past. I would prefer to run him on the dirt but he’s doing great and I think he’ll run a huge race.”

Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. has been aboard Awesome Saturday in all seven starts of his career, and will retain the mount on Sunday afternoon. He breaks from the seven hole at 7-2 morning line odds.

Photo Courtesy of Hodges Photography