Chocolate Ride returns from nearly seven-month layoff

In November 2014, Chocolate Ride was dropped in for a $40,000 tag at Churchill Downs, finished third for trainer Mark Casse, and returned after the race to the barn of trainer Brad Cox, who had claimed Chocolate Ride for a partnership. The then-4-year-old had shown some promise and looked like a horse that could win an allowance race or two if things went right. As it happened, Chocolate Ride won only one allowance race after the claim, but that was because he improved so sharply that his new connections raised him up to graded stakes competition last winter at Fair Grounds. And the more they asked, the more Chocolate Ride gave. In February, he won the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap, and in March, he won the Grade 2, $291,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap.

What can Chocolate Ride do for an encore this Fair Grounds season? The same thing, his connections hope. Injured three weeks after running a subpar race and finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on May 2 at Churchill, Chocolate Ride makes his first start in nearly seven months in the featured sixth race Friday at Fair Grounds. He’s one of 10 horses (including a Louie Roussel-owned and -trained entry) in a 1 1/16-mile turf race with multiple high-end allowance conditions and a $62,500 optional-claiming price, and figures to go off favored under Florent Geroux.

Chocolate Ride “has gotten ready a lot quicker than we even expected,” Cox said, and “has worked extremely well on dirt,” but Friday’s race obviously is intended as a stepping-stone to turf stakes later in the Fair Grounds meet, with the Muniz an obvious early 2016 goal.

“I think we have him as fit as we need to run him. He should show up, and I feel he’ll put in a big effort, but I don’t think we’ll see the best Chocolate Ride we’ve ever seen Friday,” Cox said.

Chocolate Ride went on his memorable run last winter despite bad feet that demanded near-constant attention, and Cox said Chocolate Ride’s foot problems have subsided this season.

“I know he’s a sounder, healthier horse than he was last year. I know it’s crazy to say, but to look at his feet, you wonder why he couldn’t be even better this year,” Cox said.

Chocolate Ride, even at less than 100 percent, might prove too much for his rivals Friday. Or he might not. Abtaal and Bold Rally, both of whom have a major recency edge on the favorite, look capable of pulling a mild upset if Chocolate Ride needs this one start to shed rust. Though if things go like last year, neither will have a chance with Chocolate Ride when the Fair Grounds turf-stakes season comes around.