Chocolate Ride Returns Running at Fair Grounds

Chocolate Ride, the top grass horse of the 2014-15 meet at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, picked up where he left off on Friday afternoon with an overpowering conditioned allowance victory. Throttled down in the end by jockey Florent Geroux, the Brad Cox trainee won by three facile lengths and missed the about 1 1/16-miles track record by .01 seconds.

On Saturday morning, the son of Candy Ride was no worse for the wear, according to Cox’s Fair Grounds-based assistant trainer Ricky Giannini, who stated that the race ‘took nothing out of him,’ via text. Already a track record holder for nine furlongs on the Stall-Wilson turf course, he is now 4-for-5 over the surface.

“That was a little better than expected,” Cox said. “I was glad a horse went out there and gave him a target. That was good for a first race back. We had him at Churchill Downs up until the last few days and we didn’t want to train the wheels off him on the dirt. He’s much better right now – and sounder – and his feet have grown out. I do know that with horses with bad feet, it follows them, but hopefully we stay in a good shape with him. Right now he’s carrying unbelievable flesh and is doing just great.”

Last season, Cox claimed the bay gelding off Mark Casse for $40,000 at Churchill. Quickly switching him from dirt to turf and putting him under the watchful gaze of Giannini in New Orleans, Chocolate Ride blossomed while ascending from a first level allowance win, through two graded stakes victories and ultimately to Grade I company when last seen in the $500,000 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.

“We will look at the (Grade III $125,000) Col. E. R. Bradley next for him,” Cox continued. “The ($60,000 Buddy) Diliberto (Stakes onDec. 19) is a little quick back for him and obviously we want to race him all of 2016, not just the winter.  It was different last year after having claimed him. This year the expectations are higher and we would like for him to campaign in some of the best races.”

WELL-BRED ETRUSCAN LOOKS TOUGH IN MONDAY FEATURE

On the first Monday card of the Fair Grounds 2015-16 meet, the featured first race includes a match-up of the established versus a well-bred upstart over six furlongs. While William T. Reed’s morning-line favorite Political Justice is likely to go off as the post-time favorite on the merits of his 10-4-2-3 record in 2015 and consistently gritty starter allowance form for trainer Bret Calhoun, the focus will likely be on the morning-line second-choice Etruscan.

Unlike his aforementioned 6-year-old rival, who has started 52 times for 12 victories, Brereton C. Jones’ homebred Etruscan will be making only his seventh trip to post and fifth of 2015 for trainer Larry Jones. By top sire Bernardini, Etruscan is out of Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell, who also won the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks in 2008 and was second in the Grade III Silverbulletday Stakes in her two local attempts.

Following two sub-par Keeneland sprint maiden efforts at two in Oct. 2014, Etruscan returned from an eight-month layoff to graduate against older horses in a June 17 special weight. He followed that with a pair of game seconds in six-furlong allowances races. All three of those races were at Jones’ summer base, Delaware Park. Last out, the dark bay sophomore was a dull sixth in second-level allowance company at Keeneland on Oct. 8 after an inside trip. Florent Geroux picks up the mount.

ALMASTY UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR WOODCHOPPER

John Wentworth’s Brad Cox-trained Almasty capped a big day for his connections, who within 10 minutes of one another saw their multiple graded stakes-winning Chocolate Ride nearly break a track record off a six-month layoff at Fair Grounds moments before Almasty wired the Grade III $100,000 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs at 11-1 odds.

“He’s a hard-trying horse who lays it on the line,” Cox said. “We’ll give him a vacation soon, but we may look at the ($75,000) Woodchopper (Stakes on Dec. 26) first. He’s had a long campaign and been training for a year, so he may need a break. First, we’ll see how he comes out of yesterday’s race. He’s a similar horse to Chocolate Ride in that he shows a lot of speed on the grass and gives it his all.”

Also like Chocolate Ride, Almasty was a claim in the last year. Taken for $30,000 in March at Fair Grounds from trainer Bret Calhoun, the 3-year-old ridgling son of top turf sire Scat Daddy broke his maiden over the Stall-Wilson turf course in February one race prior and, again like Chocolate Ride, has steadily ascended the class ladder. Friday’s victory was his fourth in 10 starts.

WORK TAB

Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s One King’s Man, third last out in the $100,000 Delta Gold Cup on Nov. 14 in his first start in six months, worked toward a possible reappearance in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Dec. 12 with a half-mile move in 50.60 for trainer Joe Sharp. The son of K One King was second via disqualification last year in the Classic.

Another working toward a possible return to Champions Day on Saturday morning was JRita Young Thoroughbreds’ two-time stakes victress Vivian Da Bling, who negotiated five panels in 1:01.20 for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Keith Plaisance’s Pacific Pink, winner last out in stakes company at Louisiana Downs, worked a bullet (of only three) six furlongs in 1:15.80 for trainer Eddie Johnston. The daughter of Private Vow is 5-for-9 and has yet to finish out of the money.

Two-time stakes-winning sprinter A M Milky Way continued his comeback trail with a three-furlong work in 37.60 for trainer Karl Broberg and owner David Davis.

Doug Wall’s multiple stakes-winning Oklahoma-bred Ibaka, last seen wiring the $130,000 Oklahoma Turf Classic on Oct. 16, worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.60 for trainer Bret Calhoun. The four-time stakes winner has won seven of 15 and stakes on both dirt and turf.

An unraced juvenile filly to watch from the Merrill Scherer barn, Lady Digger worked a bullet half-mile in 47.80 out of the gate on Saturday morning. By top Louisiana sire Yankee Gentleman out of graded stakes-winning Desert Digger – who herself won the Grade II Sorento Stakes at two – she is a half-sister to stakes horses Sirmione and Little Sandy.

Source: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots