Chocolate Ride, String King Meet at Last in Bradley

The two most popular turf horses at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will have their long-awaited meeting in the Grade III $125,000 Col. E. R. Bradley Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course on Saturday, Jan. 16. Part of a five-stakes card and the 10th of 12 races, the Bradley pits defending champ and 18-time winner String King, a homebred of owner-trainer Charles C. Smith, against the likes of Wentworth Brochu’s Brad Cox-trained expected favorite Chocolate Ride. Together the two swept the three local turf graded stakes in 2015, with Chocolate Ride taking the Grade III $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap and then upsetting subsequent Grade I winner Slumber in the Grade II $300,000 Mervin H. Muniz Memorial Handicap.

 

Subsequently eighth after a sub-par start in the Grade I $500,000 Turf Classic on Kentucky Derby Day, Chocolate Ride was given time off until Nov. 27, when the son of Candy Ride dismantled a field of Fair Grounds allowance horses by three lengths in near-track record time at the Bradley’s course and distance. Regular rider Florent Geroux retains the mount from the two-hole in the field of 12.

 

String King enters the Bradley off a shocking nose loss when trying to win his fourth $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf on Dec. 12 and should move forward, considering it is his second run off a three-month layoff for Smith. Richard Eramia, who was aboard for three of the son of Crowned King’s four stakes victories of 2015, retains the mount from post four.

 

Doug Wall’s Ibaka will try to win his sixth career stakes race from 17 lifetime runs when he starts in the Bradley. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the son of Uncle Abbie won his first open-company stakes last out when impressively taking the $60,000 Diliberto Memorial over this course and distance, defeating fellow Bradley entrants Blarp and Potomac River in second and third. Ibaka will get a new rider in Jose Valdivia, Jr., from the outside post 12, while Colby Hernandez rides Blarp from the rail and Juan Vargas will be astride Potomac River in 11.

 

Michael Hui’s Mike Maker-trained Flashlight (Miguel Mena, post three) should garner considerable support at the windows on the strength of a second two starts back in graded turf company – a sentiment which can also be applied to John Oxley’s Mark Casse-trained Sky Flight (Julien Leparoux, post five), who has won or placed in four of his last six stakes attempts – all on the grass.