Brown's veterans take on up-and-coming Santin in Muniz Memorial

The late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel forged a somewhat surprising friendship with the late Fair Grounds director of racing Mervin Muniz that resulted in a steady stream of Frankel-trained stakes starters shipping from California to New Orleans.

Twice Frankel won Fair Grounds’ most important grass race, which was called the Explosive Bid. Now the race is named the Muniz Memorial for Mervin and his late brother Ramon. Former Frankel employee (and future Hall of Famer) Chad Brown has been a regular participant.

Brown most recently won the Muniz in 2019 with the phenomenal Bricks and Mortar. He has no horse of such elite ability this year but sends two serious contenders in Sacred Life and Devamani for Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 contest. The Muniz drew nine entrants and is contested at 1 1/8 miles with a long run down the homestretch before the first of two turns.

Seven-year-old Sacred Life is the 2-1 morning-line favorite under Florent Geroux, with 8-year-old Devamani the 5-2 second choice under Joel Rosario. Geroux and Brown rarely partner, with their record over the last five years, per DRF Formulator, just 12-1-1-3. There’s something of a national high-end jockey crunch Saturday with Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, Flavien Prat, and Luis Saez overseas for Saturday’s Dubai World Cup card.

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Sacred Life is the more accomplished of the duo, his form has hit a higher mark, and three starts back won the Knickerbocker Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, likely his favorite trip. He raced from a near impossible position, 12th of 12, in a slow-paced renewal of the Pegasus World Cup Turf last out, finishing with interest to get sixth, beaten less than three lengths. That said, Sacred Life has won just once in his last eight starts, that by a narrow margin, and might have lost a little zip from his finishing kick.

Devamani has raced just three times since 2020, and while visually impressive winning the Monmouth Cup last summer, he pounded a relatively modest field in that June 5 start and didn’t run again until February.

From a strictly mercenary point of view, the presence of the Brown duo help the price on the very interesting Santin, a 4-year-old with only four starts who has far, far more upside than either Brown-trained entrant.

Santin, a Godolphin homebred, didn’t debut until late September of his 3-year-old season and did so out of the limelight, at Indiana Grand. He wasted no time showing off his talent, winning his first start with aplomb before coming right back to handle first-level turf allowance rivals at Keeneland in October. His connections were impressed enough to take a swing in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Santin validated their faith. Despite breaking from post 14 and closing into a tepid tempo, his late rally carried him within a neck of victory.

“I just think he’s a super talented horse,” said trainer Brendan Walsh.

Walsh prepared Santin for his 2022 debut in Florida and sent him to the Fair Grounds Stakes on Feb. 19. Santin, as he’d done at Keeneland, hit a flat spot at the quarter pole, coming off the bridle and idling before being heatedly stoked back into action. He finished strongly and was beaten only a half-length while checking in fourth.

“I think we’re going to benefit from having had a run on the track there,” said Walsh. “Just having a run, full stop, we’re going to benefit from it. If he improves any at all he’ll be very tough. He’s still a very inexperienced horse. I don’t think we’ve seen near the finished article yet.”

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Tyler Gaffalione got to know Santin last month and rides him back Saturday.

Cavalry Charge notched a 35-1 upset of the Fair Grounds, beating the Brown-trained Adhamo by a head after controlling a pokey pace under Brian Hernandez Jr., who rides again Saturday. Trainer Dallas Stewart said Cavalry Charge had run poorly in a Fair Grounds turf stakes two months ago because the course was too soft.

Two Emmys, second to high-class Colonel Liam in the 2021 Muniz, ran his worst race since July 2020 in the Fair Grounds, chasing Cavalry Charge and fading to 10th. Trainer and part-owner Hugh Robertson could find nothing amiss with his charge. Expect Two Emmys, winner of the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes last summer, to show more speed Saturday.

Trainer Chris Block has two solid entrants, Another Mystery and Captivating Moon. Forty Under might well have peaked in January and Peacock Kitten is overmatched.

Post time for the Muniz, race 10 of 12, is 4:40 Central.

A previous version of this article misstated Sacred Life's record at 1 1/8 miles on turf. He has one win in three starts at the distance on turf.