Tonto Fontenot Takes Fair Grounds Feature

Stacey Moak’s Tonto Fontenot, away alertly and always well placed, took command at the furlong grounds and drew off as the Lone Ranger at the wire in Thursday’s $51,000 Fair Grounds feature, an allowance and $40,000 optional claiming event run at a mile and 70 yards.

Trained by Bobby Barnett and ridden by Shane Sellers, Tonto Fontenot accomplished the distance in 1:43.11, increased his career earnings to $107,326 with his fourth lifetime win in 20 career starts and returned mutuels of $8.80, $3 and $2.80.

Finishing second, a length and a quarter in arrears of Tonto Fontenot was Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s favored Cease, who made the pace in the Grade II Breeders’ Cup Marathon before weakening to fifth in his previous start Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs. 

Cease, never far back, could not withstand the winner at the wire but clearly held the place, paying $2.40 and $2.40 as the runner-up while finishing a length and a quarter to the good of Thomas Meites and Richard Trent’ pace-making Good Chemistry, who paid $5.60 to show after setting early fractions of 25.15 and 49.46.