Behold That Word has the class but maybe not the distance in Fonner feature; mandatory pick five payout

The multiple stakes winner Behold That Word will launch her 5-year-old season Wednesday in the featured fourth race at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb.

“She wintered well,” said trainer Stetson Mitchell.

Behold That Word is part of a field of seven fillies and mares for the optional $10,000 claiming sprint that carries nonwinners-of-four allowance conditions. The race will be run over six furlongs.

Others set to start include Let’s Go Places, a two-time winner of the Nebraska Queen’s Stakes at Horsemen’s Park, and Global Exchange, a winner of two of her three starts this meet at Fonner.

The card Wednesday features a mandatory payout of the late pick five jackpot. The fifty-cent minimum wager runs on the last five races on the card. The mandatory payout is one of two scheduled this month, with the other on closing day May 27.

Behold That Word returns from a freshening, as the start Wednesday will be her first since December at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

“She went home and had some R and R and we got her back up here the first part of March,” Mitchell said. “She is really filled out and looks really good. She’s happy.”

Behold That Word is a top Colorado-bred, and her goals this summer are various stakes at Arapahoe Park. The Aurora, Colo., track has announced on its website the start of the meet has been postponed to June 6, pending approval from the Colorado Racing Commission.

The situation – due to the coronavirus pandemic – has in part led to Behold That Word making her first start at Fonner. She has handled the track, said Mitchell.

“She sure likes to breeze over it,” he said. “I just don’t know about the distance.”

Mitchell said he believes Behold That Word is better suited to races at a mile or more. Last season, she ran second in a pair of 1 1/16-mile stakes at Arapahoe, the Columbine against open company and the Spicy against Colorado-breds.

“She’s definitely a route mare,” said Mitchell.

But the race Wednesday is an opportunity for Behold That Word get back in the racing game after vacation. She will break from the rail, with jockey Dakota Wood named to ride for breeder and owner Donna Eaton.

“She likes to spot them and come from way off of it,” Mitchell said.

Global Exchange could be showing the way. She set the pace and prevailed by more than five lengths last out, winning a conditioned allowance over six furlongs April 6 at Fonner. The third- and ninth-place finishers both returned to win conditioned allowance races at Fonner.

Jake Olesiak has the mount from post 5 for trainer Marissa Black.

Let’s Go Places won at a similar level in her last start April 21 at Fonner. She closed for a nose win over six furlongs and the Beyer Speed Figure of 62 she earned is one of the best last-race numbers in the field Wednesday.