Bayerd, Marchman watching weather ahead of Bonapaw

The first thing to handicap in the $60,000 Bonapaw Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds is the weather. The Bonapaw is carded for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, but a rainy spell had, as of Thursday, moved turf races to dirt for a week straight, and showers were forecast through Saturday in New Orleans. Twelve were entered in the Bonapaw, a very strong group considering the purse level, but the field could be just about halved if the race winds up on dirt.

Among the entrants is a Breeders’ Cup horse, Marchman, who finished a non-contending ninth at Keeneland while making his first start in two months and only his third of 2015. It was a big ask – too much, it turned out – and Marchman can benefit from class relief Saturday.

Marchman is nearly certain to be scratched on dirt, but Bayerd, trainer Steve Asmussen said, is running on either surface. Officer Griffin, a contender on dirt, has much better main-track form than turf and probably comes out without a surface switch. Speightsong, however, is entered hoping for a rain-off and will be scratched if the race stays on turf, trainer Grant Forster said. Trainer Tom Amoss would prefer to run Tanner’s Popsicle on dirt but said the horse likely would stay in for grass, too.

Key contenders

Bayerd (Last 3 Beyers: 98-89-92)

* All 13 of his starts have come on dirt, but Asmussen called the Bonapaw “a great opportunity to see if turf is an option. He’s got plenty of ability and a nice style for it.”

* Bayerd’s sire, Speightstown, often imparts turf ability to his offspring. Bayerd’s dam, Cherokee Jewel, was a dirt horse, but her first foal to race (Bayerd is her second) won on grass.

* Bayerd is on an eight-race losing streak dating to the Springboard Mile more than a year ago but has faced crack sprinters such as Trouble Kid and Holy Boss along the way.

* The Bonapaw’s 5 1/2-furlong distance falls on the short side for Bayerd, Asmussen acknowledged, but a strong pace could set him up for a good late move.

“I think he’ll have a very good 4-year-old year,” said Asmussen.

Marchman (Last 3 Beyers: 74-91-91)

* He was one of the better turf sprinters in the country in 2014 but raced just three times in 2015 and failed to win.

* Showed little in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, but trainer Bret Calhoun said Marchman got sick, missed an intended prep race, and was not in a position to show his best that day.

* Calhoun said it’s difficult to tell whether Marchman, a 6-year-old in 2016, can get back to his best form.

“At times, he looks like that. At times, you wonder,” said Calhoun. “He’s had some injuries and problems over the last year and a half. It’s what we’re trying to find out.”

Officer Griffin (Last 3 Beyers: 90-96-99)

* Chased front-end winner Control Stake and ran second in the Thanksgiving Handicap over six furlongs and could be a touch better at this 5 1/2-furlong trip.

* Would be making his fourth start in two months, but trainer Joe Sharp calls him “an iron horse” and said Officer Griffin, a closing third in a Claiming Crown race Dec. 5, “is doing fantastic” coming into the Bonapaw.