Confidence Game shifts to synthetic in quest for elusive win
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Can you teach an older horse new tricks? Graded stakes winner Confidence Game, looking for his first win in nearly two years, makes his first start on Tapeta on Saturday night in the $125,000 Dust Commander Stakes at Turfway Park. He is drawn outside in a field of 12 that includes several who have already proven themselves locally, including stakes winner Hush of a Storm.
Trained throughout his career by Keith Desormeaux, Confidence Game last won when taking the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on a sloppy Oaklawn Park track in February 2023. He subsequently finished 10th in the 2023 Kentucky Derby off a 10-week layoff. That was the first outing in what has now stretched to an 11-race losing streak, although he has two third-place finishes in his last four starts.
Confidence Game has tried turf once in that span, finishing sixth last June in a stakes-quality allowance at Churchill Downs that was won by millionaire Just Might. That might not be a fair assessment of Confidence Game’s abilities on a non-dirt surface, as it came over 5 1/2 furlongs, which is not his best distance. He has one maiden win from six starts at less than a mile, with his stronger performances coming around two turns. The Dust Commander is 1 1/16 miles.
Confidence Game, by the multi-surface sire Candy Ride, is from a female family with plenty of synthetic and turf ability. His dam, Eblouissante, won her debut at 1 1/16 miles on synthetic and also is the dam of The Process, who was Grade 3-placed routing on turf. Eblouissante is a half-sister to Hall of Famer Zenyatta, who was perfect in 17 outings on synthetic surfaces. Out of Vertigineux, who got both her wins on turf, they also are half-sisters to Where’s Bailey, a Grade 1 winner on dirt and Grade 1-placed on synthetic.
Hush of a Storm, now trained by Brad Cox after a claim last year, holds a record of 10-4-1-4 at Turfway, including a win in the 2021 John Battaglia Memorial and three other stakes placings. The gelding continues to show good form coming into his 7-year-old season. He won the Ashley T. Cole on the Aqueduct turf in September and finished fourth in a strong edition of the Mohawk on that course, won by eventual Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Spirit of St Louis. Hush of a Storm then finished third in the Prairie Bayou in December at Turfway.
Chiron, Prince of Power, Santorini, and Tapit Shoes are all coming off last-out wins at Turfway. It was a big step forward for Tapit Shoes, a temperamental sort who has been well-regarded since being stakes-placed at age 3 in 2023 while trained by Cox. The gelding was purchased last year by Steve Moger to be trained by his brother, Ed Moger Jr., and got his first win for those connections last out, recovering from a stumbling start to rally for an allowance win going 1 1/4 miles at Turfway.
In that race, Tapit Shoes earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 98, also the top last-out number in this field. He has successfully raced closer to the pace and ought to be able to adjust in a race in which Prince of Power and Santorini look like the speed.
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