Beachcombing streaks into stakes debut in John Henry

Beachcombing will be looking to win his fifth straight race Saturday night when he takes on sharp locals Peacock Kitten, Treys Midnite Moon, and Maga Man in the $60,000 John Henry at Evangeline Downs.

The race is for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles on turf. It drew nine.

Beachcombing is making his stakes debut after winning three straight turf races over the winter at Fair Grounds and an off-the-turf allowance at Louisiana Downs in his most recent start May 22. Shane Wilson trains Beachcombing, who was claimed for $30,000 in January by owner Wayne T. Davis.

“We claimed the horse and thought he may be a horse for the John Henry Stakes in the summertime,” Wilson said. “He hasn’t lost on the turf going a route of ground. He’s 3 for 3.

“He’s a good horse. He’s big and strong, and he’s a Giant’s Causeway.”

Roberto Morales has the mount from post 3.

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Saturday’s forecast calls for a 74 percent chance of rain, according to The Weather Channel.

“Hopefully, the rain won’t knock us out,” Wilson said. “I’ll be sick if it’s off the turf. There’s nothing we can do about it. I won with him on dirt, but it looks like by far his best surface is turf.”

Peacock Kitten is coming off a 2 1/2-length allowance win over the Evangeline Downs turf on June 19.

“I’m hoping we stay on the turf,” trainer Rylee Grudzien said.

Peacock Kitten boasts a strong record over the local course. He’s won twice and run second twice from six starts on the grass at Evangeline. For his effort last out he earned one of his best Beyer Speed Figures, an 81. The start was Peacock Kitten’s second at the meet, following a fifth-place finish in an allowance on May 7.

“The first time we ran him he got stuck on the rail, basically the whole time around there,” Grudzien said. “He had a really tough trip – nowhere to go. It was just unfortunate circumstances. His last race, we changed it up a little bit with him. There was a lot of speed in there. We let them do the dirty work.”

Peacock Kitten settled about five lengths off the pace, then finished strongly to win the mile race in 1:37.20.

Grudzien likes the added ground Saturday.

“I think it will give him a nice opportunity to get his feet underneath him,” she said. “There’s a fair bit of speed in there, which I like.”

Devin Magnon has the mount, one of his first back since he sustained back and rib fractures in a January spill at Delta Downs. Magnon and Peacock Kitten will break from post 2 for BW and HTS Stables and Jason Grudzien.