Eagle, Ride on Curlin Figure Prominently in Tenacious

With just under a million dollars in earnings between them in 25 collective starts, the talented duo of William S. Farish’s Eagle and Daniel Dougherty’s Ride on Curlin will each try to acquire an overdue stakes win when they line up in gate stalls two and three, respectively, in Saturday’s $60,000 Tenacious Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots – part of a six-stakes Santa Super Saturday card on Dec. 19. The stakes run from races six through 11, with the Tenacious going as race 10. At a mile and 70 yards on the main track for 3-year-olds and upward, the Tenacious has drawn a field of seven, all of whom are either stakes winners or graded stakes-placed.

Multiple million-dollar Grade I-placed Ride on Curlin enters the Tenacious off a rallying fifth-place finish in the $60,000 Thanksgiving Handicap on Nov. 26 – his Fair Grounds debut. Now based at the New Orleans oval, the Billy Gowan trainee and 2014 Grade I $1,500,000 Preakness Stakes runner-up stretches out to two turns in his second start off a seven month layoff. Francisco Torres once again has the mount on the 4-year-old son of Curlin who has used a seven-furlong workout in 1:26.40 and mile move in 1:41.80 over the last two weeks to prepare him for the race.

Eagle has always been expected to be a stable star for trainer Neil Howard. A winner on debut in July of 2014, he closed out his four-race juvenile campaign last year with an excellent third-place effort in the Grade II $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club. After finishing a bothered seventh in his sophomore debut in the local Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes in January, he was injured and removed from the Grade II $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on the day of entries. Given ample time to recover, he has raced thrice this fall in Kentucky, including two victories in allowance company at 1 1/16 miles. Last out, at Churchill Downs on Nov. 11, he showed a new dimension by going gate-to-wire under regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who retains the mount.

The remainder of the Tenacious field is comprised of multiple graded stakes-winning Nates Mineshaft (Robby Albarado, rail), multiple minor stakes winners Supermason (Jamie Theriot, post four) and Witt Six (Patrick Valenzuela, post seven) and the graded stakes-placed duo of Freestyler (Miguel Mena, post five) and Treasury Bill (Florent Geroux, post six). Treasury Bill has been cross-entered into the $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial, which takes place two races prior.

LOCKOUT RETURNS VS. REGALLY READY IN DILIBERTO MEMORIAL

Thomas Julian’s Lockout returns from a seven-month layoff against nine others in Saturday’s $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial at 1 1/16-miles on the Stall-Wilson turf course for 4-year-olds and upward. Though raced just once in 2015, the son of Limehouse – who was previously trained by Mark Casse and will be making his first start for Remington Park-based Allen Milligan – made that effort count with a driving one-length tally in the Grade II $160,600 Connaught Cup at Woodbine over seven grassy furlongs. The 6-year-old picks up the riding services of Miguel Mena from post seven.

Lockout’s main rival looks to be Vinery Stables’ venerable 8-year-old Regally Ready, a 2011 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner who displayed signs of life last time when easily drawing away from a one-mile allowance optional claiming field at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15. The Steve Asmussen-trained 18-time winner from 43 starts drew the rail under Florent Geroux, who was aboard for his five-length victory last out.

Michael Hui’s Mike Maker-trained Flashlight (Manny Esquivel, post five), second last out in the Grade III $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park West, Doug Wall’s Bret Calhoun-trained Ibaka (Richard Eramia, post three), an easy winner last out of the $126,000 Oklahoma Turf Classic at Remington Park, and DARRS Inc.’s Mike Stidham-trainedLewis Vale (Robby Albarado, post four), who has won three of his last four in allowance company, also must be respected in this spot based on sharp recent form.

Robert Person and Earl Conrad Sanderson, Jr.’s visually impressive last-out allowance winner Blarp (Colby Hernandez, post nine) may be one to watch here, despite entering off a mere first-level win. Trained by Joe Sharp, the 4-year-old son of War Front overcame significant trouble to easily best his rivals that day by two lengths over the local turf.

Minor stakes winner Heuston (Brian Hernandez, Jr., post two), cross-entered Treasury Bill (Jose Valdivia, Jr., post six), graded stakes winner Potomac River (Juan Vargas, post eight) and consistent multiple allowance winner He’s Dann Good(Patrick Valenzuela, post 10) complete the Diliberto field.

TWIRLING CINNAMON TOPS SUGAR BOWL

All too appropriately, Steve Landers Racing’s Twirling Cinnamon (Shaun Bridgmohan, post two) tops a field of seven juveniles in the $50,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes at six furlongs, the last of six stakes running on the Santa Super Saturday card. The son of Twirling Candy has a victory on debut going 5½ furlongs on the Churchill Downs dirt and an allowance win traversing 7½ furlongs on the Indiana Downs turf to his credit, but has failed to make an impact in three stakes tries – including two graded attempts. Fifth last out in the $100,000 Juvenile Dirt Sprint on the Breeders’ Cup Saturday (Oct. 31) undercard at this trip, the Brad Cox trainee will try to gain his first blacktype when he breaks from post two.

Leading trainer Mike Stidham has entered a pair of juveniles in Stone Farms’ homebred Argot (Jamie Theriot, post three) and Steven J. Perlick et al.’s D. Shifflett (Florent Geroux, post six). Argot will try dirt for the first time since his Ellis Park debut on July 5, which resulted in a fourth-place finish. Raced four times on turf thereafter by previous trainer Kenny McPeek, the son of Stroll managed a victory in a rich 6½-furlong Kentucky Downs maiden on Sept. 19 two starts back.Saturday’s effort will be his first for Stidham.

D. Shifflett has started three times and has proven consistent. After a five-furlong victory on debut at Del Mar, the son of Valid Expectations was third in a Churchill Downs seven-furlong allowance behind subsequent stakes winner Discreetness. Last out he was a game second at this trip in a Keeneland allowance behind another subsequent stakes winner in Richie the Bull.

The field for the Sugar Bowl is completed by Taylors Angiel (Roberto Morales, rail), Will Munnings (Jon Court, post four),Hunker Down (Robby Albarado, post five) and Elle’s Holiday (Patrick Valenzuela, post seven).

Source: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots