Abiding Star faces older horses in allowance Tuesday
BENSALEM, Pa. – When owner Gil Campbell and trainer Ned Allard supplemented Abiding Star to the Triple Crown for $6,000 in March, their plan was to run in the Federico Tesio Stakes, a Win and You're In for the Preakness, and earn a free starting berth in that race.
But a little more than a week later, a horse at Parx Racing, where Allard is stabled, tested positive for the equine herpesvirus, and a quarantine was put into place.
During the quarantine, which will continue at least through May 5, horses are not allowed to leave Parx. Campbell and Allard's plan went up in smoke.
On Tuesday, Abiding Star will shoot for his fourth straight win in the fifth race at Parx, a third-level optional-claiming race that will be run at a mile and 70 yards for a $54,000 purse.
Abiding Star, a son of Uncle Mo, is the only 3-year-old in the six-horse field. He is the morning-line favorite over two seasoned older runners, He's So Fine and Nasa.
Abiding Star was a maiden after four starts when he was transferred to Allard last fall. After two starts against straight maiden company, Allard dropped Abiding Star into a $40,000 maiden claimer, and he won by two lengths. He has since won a first-level allowance at Parx by 4 3/4 lengths and the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park by 1 1/2 lengths.
"The timing of the quarantine was a bad break for us," Allard said Monday. "The good news is the horse is doing super."
Allard also trains the talented sprinter Always Sunshine for Campbell. Allard had hoped to run him in last Saturday's Grade 1 Carter, but he also is trapped at Parx.
"I'm hoping we can get an allowance race for him," Allard said. "When the quarantine is over, we'll start looking for a stakes."
He's So Fine, trained by Carlos Guerrero, won a second-level optional race two starts back and was second at this level in his last start.
Nasa, trained by John Servis, won a second-level race at Oaklawn Park in his most recent start Feb. 11. He has worked twice since shipping back to Parx.