Anderson holds strong hand in Monday Fonner feature

On the lead and in the clear, jockey Jake Olesiak looked back over his right shoulder 100 yards from the finish in the ninth race April 14 at Fonner Park. His closest pursuer hopelessly beaten, Olesiak eased the pressure on his mount, Ourbestfriend D L, and let him cruise home under the wire. Races often come back quickly for the somewhat limited Fonner horse population, and Olesiak clearly was saving something for the next time out. That time comes in Monday’s featured eighth race, and Ourbestfriend D L should be formidable once again.

Ourbestfriend D L has the outside post among seven horses entered in a no-conditions allowance race carded at six furlongs, a two-turn race at Fonner. He’s 3-1 on the track morning line but could go lower than that, considering his last-start win at this class level and distance was far from an outlier compared to his baseline form.

Just a 4-year-old, Ourbestfriend D L campaigned mainly at Gulfstream and Prairie Meadows during 2019, making a quick trip to Fonner about a year ago to easily win the $10,000 Baxter Stakes. After a couple poor performances at Oaklawn this winter, Ourbestfriend D L settled in at Fonner with trainer David Anderson, just missing in the $15,000 Pepsi Stakes before his April 14 victory.

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There’s no overt reason to believe Ourbestfriend D L, a son of Is It True, will do anything other than repeat his last two races, and the outside draw gives Olesiak options if another horse wants to gun for the early lead. Ourbestfriend D L generally takes a forward position but has proven capable with a clean outside-stalking trip.

His chief rival Monday might inhabit the same shed row. The Anderson-trained Scooter’s Boy, another 4-year-old, showed considerably less at age 3 than did Ourbestfriend D L, but since arriving at Fonner earlier in the year he has won all three of his starts. A one-run closer who would benefit from a strong early pace, Scooter’s Boy swept to an easy first-level allowance victory in his Fonner debut, gutted out a narrow nonwinners-of-three allowance score, and most recently won a fourth-level allowance with a $10,000 claiming option by three lengths.

Scooter’s Boy trailed the early leader by 13 lengths in that April 14 start before overpowering the opposition in the final quarter-mile. The Fonner racing surface tilted slightly in favor of outside closers last Monday, and Scooter’s Boy could give Ourbestfriend D L all he wants if that happens again.

Black Ops, who shows an April 17 workout at Sunland Park, is listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, but he is coming out of one-mile races and at age 7 might not have the speed he once possessed. Black Ops did race effectively last may in 870-yard mixed-breed races at Sunray Park, which, like Fonner, is a small bull-ring oval.

The late pick four, with the feature the second-to-last leg, holds some appeal. Race 9, a $5,000 “beaten” claimer at six furlongs, includes Merlo’s Lad, posted on the rail and stretching out to six furlongs after a pair of half-mile starts shook off rust following a five-month layoff.

In race 7 the bookend horses, Top of the Page in post 1 and Outrun the Posse drawn on the outside of an eight-runner field, both figure in a straight $7,500 claimer. American League cuts back from routes to a sprint and appears to be holding competitive form for trainer Jerry Gourneau, who has entrants in six races Monday and went 4-2-1 from 15 starters during the last three-day Fonner racing week.

The late pick four starts in race 6 with a fourth-level allowance also open to $10,000 claimers and carded at six furlongs. Lovethatcause and Overanalyze are the favorites here, but give one more chance, as well, to Mallory’s Bandit, who’s held firm for a $10,000 tag by the capable barn of trainer Marissa Black and, though he prefers turf, should have some improvement coming in his third start back from a winter layoff.