Buggin Out heavily favored for repeat in Magic City Classic
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
When String King, one of the best Louisiana-bred grass horses ever, has been sent from his base in northwest Louisiana to race across the state at Fair Grounds, owner and trainer Charlie Smith usually just drops String King off and goes back home, entrusting the day-to-day care and training of his stable star to trainer Ken Hargrave. String King in fact has been stabled with Hargrave for a couple weeks now, and he races Saturday in the Louisiana Champions Day Turf, but Friday, Hargrave sends out his own stable star, Buggin Out. And as strong as String King might look in his race this weekend, it’s nothing compared to the stranglehold Buggin Out appears to have on the $57,000 Magic City Classic.
The Magic City Classic, a two-turn dirt race, is restricted to Alabama-breds, and that is a mighty restriction, since the Alabama-bred foal crop has numbered about 30 in recent seasons. Six of them are entered in the Magic City Classic, a one-mile dirt race, and only two of the entrants really can run much at all. Ira, who ships in from Delaware Park, has won four races and $63,855, but on raw form he will be no match for Buggin Out. Buggin Out won the 2014 Magic City Classic by 7 1/4 lengths at odds of 4-5, but he is 1-5 on the Fair Grounds morning line Friday, and for good reason.
Buggin Out just won a high-end Delta Downs optional-claiming race with a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure, and he is well-suited to a two-turn race with a short homestretch, the conditions he’ll find Friday. Jockey Richard Eramia needs to break Buggin Out without falling down, keep him clear of trouble, and chart a course straight to the winner’s circle.
Charlie Smith plans to drive down to Fair Grounds early Saturday morning and saddle String King in the afternoon. He can only hope it is as clear-cut for his horse as it should be for Hargrave’s.
Statebred 2-year-olds try turf
More interesting than the Magic City Classic is race 5 on the Friday card, a 2-year-old turf mile carded for Louisiana-breds. Contention runs fairly deep, but Baama Care should win if the race develops as it appears on paper and he runs to form. Trained by Richie Scherer, Baama Care gets his first shot in statebred-restricted competition and ran 7 1/2-furlong grass races at Indiana Grand and Canterbury good enough to win this. His preferred closing style should synch well in a race that appears to be loaded with pace elements.