Sam Houston: Proceed Bee ready turf or dirt in Connally Cup

Patrick Lang/Lang Photography

Proceed Bee is shipping into Sam Houston Race Park for Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Cup Turf.

Rain or shine, multiple stakes winner Proceed Bee is a go for Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Cup Turf at Sam Houston Race Park. He was one of seven older horses entered in the 1 1/8-mile turf race Wednesday. Proceed Bee will be invading from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and is to ship to Houston on Friday, trainer Scott Becker said.

The forecast for Saturday in Houston calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 66 degrees, but on Wednesday portions of the city were under a flood warning. Rain also was forecast for Wednesday night and possibly into Thursday.

Proceed Bee will come into the Connally off a head win in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou at Turfway Park on Dec. 17. Saturday night’s race will be the horse’s first start at Sam Houston.

“We’ve been pointing him for this,” Becker said of the Connally. “We really want to run him on the turf there. We’ll see how the weather plays out. [But] I’ll run no matter what.”

Proceed Bee has won stakes races on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces. He has compiled a 12-for-28 career record and has earned $639,371 while racing exclusively for William Stiritz. Proceed Bee is a 6-year-old by Bernstein.

Becker said Chris Emigh has the mount in the Connally Cup. The horse drew post 6.

Others entered for the race include Papaw Bodie, who will be seeking his fourth consecutive win when he breaks from post 2. He took a $62,500 optional claimer at Gulfstream Park in his last start Dec. 31 and has since been working at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Rosie Napravnik has the mount for trainer Mike Maker.

Ioya Bigtime will get good support off his second-place finish in the Grade 2 Fayette at Keeneland in his last start Oct. 29. Robby Albarado has the mount for trainer Neil Pessin.

The field also includes Dakota Gypsy, runner-up in the $100,000 DeBartolo Memorial at Remington Park in September who is to be ridden by Chris Landeros; Little Wagon, who was fourth in the $125,000 Remington Park Green in October; And Music Came, who was fourth in last year’s Connally Cup; and Col. Wright, an allowance winner this past summer at Lone Star Park.

The Connally is annually the richest race of the Sam Houston meet. It will go as the eighth on a 10-race card, with an approximate post of 10:02 p.m. Central.

John B. Connally Turf Cup S., Post Time: 10:02 CT Saturday

Purse: $200,000; 1 1/8 miles