86-1: Idratherbeblessed shocks Muniz Memorial at Fair Grounds

Sent off at 86-1, Idratherbeblessed crossed over the field and never looked back, leading at every call en route to winning the Grade 2, $300,000 Muniz Memorial Handicap presented by Horse Racing Nation.

Owned by JD Thoroughbreds and Wayne Scherr, trained by Chris Hartman and piloted by Ben Curtis, Idratherbeblessed covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.45 over a turf course rated firm, beating 11 rivals in the race for older horses.

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“An outside gate gave me a chance to go forward,” Curtis said. “He did a little bit too much in his last race and pulled too hard in behind. I was able to get into a rhythm and do my own thing on the front end. He's a horse who really sticks his head down and tries. I think the extra distance really stood to him. I know he was a long shot on the board, but his most recent work was the best he’s ever put in. He got it done today.”

Tracking in third through much of the race, Gigante finished strong for second. Cameo Performance rallied late for third.

Idratherbeblessed returned $174.20, $70.20, and $28.40. Gigante paid $15.00 and $8.60. Cameo Performance returned $10.00.

“It was a very good trip. He ran really well,” Gigante’s jockey Joel Rosario said. “It looked like for a second we were going to go by the winner, but he kept moving away from us.”

With a career record of 27: 5-6-6, 5-year-old Idratherbeblessed has earned $503,168.