Calhoun has momentum for Mr. Money's Risen Star Stakes try

While time was not on trainer Bret Calhoun’s side last month when he targeted the Lecomte Stakes (G3) with Mr. Money, the newest member of American racing's 3,000-win club is moving forward, hoping for a big run from the Allied Racing-owned son of Goldencents in the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Since arriving in New Orleans following a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Mr. Money trained without hiccups into the Lecomte until the day beforehand, when he coughed while returning from routing morning exercise.

“I thought we had a great plan, and timing-wise the race was good, but he came up with a temperature and was sick the day before," Calhoun said. "It passed pretty quickly, though. I think he only missed a few days of training. Obviously we got off course and we may be at somewhat of a disadvantage coming into this race with a long time in between races now.

"I thought the plan was to go forward from the Lecomte into here but we don’t have a lot of great options moving forward and we got to get started. The horse is doing very, very well and I couldn’t be happier with where he is in his training.”

Calhoun reached a milestone win on Sunday afternoon when becoming the 30th trainer to reach 3,000 career victories. A victory with Mr. Money would be a good place to continue that run.

“I’d love to have some more momentum this weekend,” Calhoun said. “Things are going well; they’re going in the right direction for him. He’s had a good winter all except for a couple days down here. Everything before and after that point have been great.”

Mr. Money will square off against a full field of 14 in the Risen Star Stakes, including Lecomte Stakes winner War of Will, who is the 5-2 morning line favorite for Saturday’s race.

“I think this time of year there are a lot of horses that are developing,” Calhoun said. “There are a lot of them in there with some questions. (War of Will) answered a lot of questions in the Lecomte and he was very impressive. I think everyone was questioning his abilities on a fast track and he showed up and proved that he was the deserving favorite.

"The rest of them are very similar, yet to be proven and are developing this time of year. Everyone’s hoping them to move forward.”

Speaking of horses that will hopefully move forward, Calhoun sends out Tom Durant’s Silver Dust in the Grade 3, $150,000 Mineshaft Handicap earlier on the program. The son of Tapit is still in search of his first stakes win but finished a close second in the Louisiana Stakes last out. Admittedly, the trainer says, Silver Dust hasn’t been the easiest to work with since arriving to Calhoun’s barn last winter. 

“He’s a horse that is tough to figure out,” Calhoun said. “He’s an extremely talented horse. He’s a Tapit so he can act a little bit mental at times. Right now, he’s probably a lot more talented than we’ve ever seen in the afternoon. He does things in the morning that make you think he’s a top horse but he hasn’t quite replicated that in the afternoon.

"It does seem likes he’s in a bit of groove right now. He won two in a row ran a good second in a stake. We’re hopeful that he can move forward and improve and he does seem like he’s going in the right direction.”

Formerly conditioned by Randy Morse, Silver Dust competed the series of Oaklawn Park prep races on the Kentucky Derby trail two years ago but was unable to make an effective showing and finished off the board in all three races.

“I can totally see why they were so high on him back then,” Calhoun said. “The first time I got him in my barn I expected him to be a top older horse around this time last year. It took him a long time to get him to where we thought that he could be. This field is deeper and more talented that the last but if he goes over there and does his job, he’s very capable.

"I castrated him a while back and thought that it might make a difference and it did make a difference, but it didn’t cure all his problems.”

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Silver Dust was purchased for $510,000 from the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March Sale of Two-Year-Olds In Training, where he was consigned by DeMeric Sales. He is out of the stakes-winning Hard Spun broodmare Filare l’Oro and is from the same family as multiple graded stakes winner Gouldings Green and multiple Grade 1 winner Cross Traffic – last year’s leading first crop sire.

Mr. Money was bred in Kentucky by Spruce Lane Farm and was bought at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $130,000 by Josh Stevens Bloodstock. He is out of the Tiznow broodmare Plenty O’Toole, whose grand dam O’Toole is a half-sister to 2009 Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed. He is also from the same family as American Patriot, a Grade 1 winner on turf.