Bayerd dangerous on turf or dirt in Colonel Power

They’re working hard for their money down at Fair Grounds.

Just take a look at the Colonel Power Stakes, the Saturday feature. The 13 horses entered wouldn’t look out of place in a stakes worth, say, $150,000, but they’re battling for a $50,000 purse.

The surface on which the battle will be joined is uncertain. The Colonel Power is carded for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, but a rainy forecast opens the possibility of a move to dirt.

Either way, Bayerd looms as a major factor. Trainer Steve Asmussen expressed interest in seeing how Bayerd, a son of Speightsown, would fare in his grass debut when he entered the 4-year-old in the Bonapaw Stakes on Jan. 2. That race, also at 5 1/2 furlongs, was rained onto the main track, and Bayerd scored a sharp win. And while his turf ability remains unknown, the Bonapaw demonstrated that yes, Bayerd has enough giddy-up to race effectively in sprints shorter than six furlongs. Bayerd subsequently has gotten buried down inside in two Oaklawn Park dirt sprints, but he’s the pick to come out on top Saturday regardless of the racing surface.

El Seventyseven hasn’t raced since September, but he has been lighting up the work tab (bullets in three of his last four workouts, a near-bullet in the fourth) while preparing for this comeback under the watchful eye of trainer Hugh Robertson. El Seventyseven has raced once on the Fair Grounds grass course, and it was a doozy: He won a high-end sprint allowance race 13 months ago by more than three lengths, earning a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

But El Seventyseven has speed and is drawn inside several other pace elements, and a trip will have to be worked out. One of the primary pace players, Latent Revenge, is sure to be asked for speed from post 13. Latent Revenge has gotten on a roll at this meet, winning consecutive allowance races, and he is going well enough to contend if Cisco Torres can avoid losing too much ground.

Whiskey Bravo has won three straight turf sprints at this meet, claimed for $40,000 out of his last by trainer Brad Cox, but the Colonel Power could offer too stiff a class test.

On dirt, Speightsong will have a chance. His fourth two starts ago to Bayerd in the Bonapaw wasn’t Speightsong’s best shot as he showed in winning a fourth-level allowance last out at Oaklawn.