Bitsy's Afleet in tough return spot

All the connections of Bitsy’s Afleet intended was to give their horse a little break from racing. Instead, they got a long break, and almost a year after he last raced, Bitsy’s Afleet returns to action in the featured seventh race Friday at Fair Grounds.

Bitsy’s Afleet is one of seven entrants in a high-level Louisiana-bred allowance race carded for six furlongs on dirt and open to $35,000 claimers. Among his rivals are Monte Man and Divine Bean, who finished one-two in the Heitai Stakes in November at Fair Grounds and three-two in the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint in December.

“He’s training really good for us, but we were hoping for a little easier spot first time back,” said Sam David, who trains Bitsy’s Afleet for breeders Earl and Rose Hernandez.

Bitsy’s Afleet debuted in December 2017 and easily won a maiden and allowance race in his first two starts, both Fair Grounds sprints, before finishing third going one mile in a Delta Downs stakes race. He came back to win a two-turn Delta sprint in his fourth start. Turned out for what was supposed to be a short rest following that race, he sustained in injury in a field, David said.

Injuries clearly are not a desired outcome, but Bitsy’s Afleet comes back early in his 4-year-old year and is a bigger, stronger, more-developed horse. His work pattern is encouraging, and David can have a horse ready to run well first time back from a break – or just first time, period.

“He seems like the type that would get better with age,” David said.

Monte Man won seven races in a row, culminating in the Heitai, but appears to have hit a plateau, and while two recent losses produced performances good enough to win the Friday feature, Monte Man is listed at 7-5 on the Fair Grounds morning line and could go to post an odds-on favorite for trainer Ron Faucheux.

Divine Bean made his Delta debut last out in the Premier Sprint – and didn’t seem to enjoy it at all. He pressed the early pace but backed through the field to finish a distant seventh, and probably will appreciate a return to Fair Grounds.

Rain is forecast all week in New Orleans and Friday’s turf races stand a decent chance of being moved to the main track. First post is the standard 12:30 Central.