Abounding Joy in from Kentucky for Jack Bishop Stakes

ALTOONA, Iowa – The French are invading Altoona, Iowa, trying to take down the $50,000 Jack Bishop Stakes on Friday night at Prairie Meadows.

Florent Geroux is named to ride Abounding Joy for his friend, trainer Rodolphe Brisset, in the Bishop, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for fillies and mares.

The Bishop, as the saying goes, kills two birds with one stone. It offers an appealing spot to get Abounding Joy the first stakes win of her career while affording Brisset and owner WinStar Stablemates Racing to get a look at Abounding Joy in a two-turn race.

Four-year-old Abounding Joy is by Quality Road out of Jump On In, a mare by the recently deceased Jump Start, and she has looked solid if unspectacular winning three times in her five-race career. Abounding Joy finished a one-paced fourth in the $50,000 Minaret going six furlongs at Tampa Bay in December, her lone stakes start, but returned April 17 with a three-length second-level allowance victory over 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct. Her pedigree suggests a middle-distance horse in waiting, and Brisset has good numbers stretching horses from sprints to routes.

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Abounding Joy has drawn the rail and could experience a tricky trip, not something bettors should be enthused to lock into at a short price. Among the six others entered is Summer’s Indy, listed on the morning line as the 5-2 favorite over 7-2 Abounding Joy. Abounding Joy seems the more likely post-time favorite, but even if the morning-line odds are reversed, Summer’s Indy will take a lot of betting. Karl Broberg, who is 31-9-8-3 at this young race meeting, trains Summer’s Indy, whose competitive string of Beyer Speed Figures have come in starter-allowance and lower-level allowance races.

Summer’s Indy might have the right running style to capitalize on a strong, contested pace, but she also lacks upside at a short price, and anyone willing to take on the two favorites should consider spreading wide through the other five entrants, none of whom is definitively overmatched.