Contreras pair both figure in Gus Grissom Stakes

Operation Stevie won the 2018 Gus Grissom Stakes and is the 8-5 morning-line favorite to win it again Wednesday at Indiana Grand, but bettors might do well to have a second look at Stevie’s stablemate.

Rocky Rush, like Operation Stevie, is trained by high-percentage Cipriano Contreras, and while he has accomplished far less during his career than Operation Stevie, Rocky Rush might be the one that better suits the $100,000 Gus Grissom, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race restricted to Indiana-bred and -sired entrants.

Operation Stevie won this race a year ago with a mere 62 Beyer Speed Figure, low for the class level and by his standards, and practically was gifted the victory when a scorching early and middle pace set up his sustained late run. But Operation Stevie’s racing history has shown he performs optimally as a one-run closer in one-turn races, not routes, and while he can get by going two turns in competition this restricted, he needs pace help, luck, and a peak effort, which is a lot to ask at a short price of a 7-year-old making his 48th career start.

Rocky Rush, meanwhile, was claimed just three starts ago for $12,500 and immediately switched to turf, over which he finished second of 12 on Sept. 3 in the $107,000 A.J. Foyt Stakes, a race he might have won had there been more pace at which to run. Maybe Rocky Rush needs turf for his best, but there’s evidence that’s not the case, looking back at the way he raced in a two-turn dirt race last November at Indiana Grand. Rocky Rush, like Operation Stevie, should have plenty of pace in front of him Wednesday in a race packed with stretch-out sprinters. Alas, his 12-1 morning-line odds seem about double what’s likely to be on offer.

Contreras and Parx Racing-based Manny Esquivel, who’s named to ride Operation Stevie, also have a live shot with Expect Indy in the Grissom’s sister race, the $100,000 Richmond for Indiana-sired fillies and mares. Expect Indy won the 2018 Richmond by nearly four lengths, but like Operation Stevie she more tolerates route racing than excels at it. Expect Indy’s current form looks strong, and expect her to at least attempt to keep pace during the early and middle stages with the 6-5 morning-line favorite, Unbridled Class, the race’s rail-drawn speed.

Unbridled Class held on to beat Expect Indy in the Merrillville Stakes over six furlongs on Sept. 11, and her early summer form would have looked formidable in the Richmond. But Unbridled Class, following four peak races between April and June, threw in a real clunker two back and only mildly bounced back in the Merrillville, and she simply might not be thriving right now like she was a few months ago.

If one took the position both favorites looked vulnerable, Fireball Baby, 10-1 on the morning line, emerges as a potential play, at least as a usable horse in multi-race wagers. A 3-year-old facing older rivals, Fireball Baby appeared to struggle in her turf debut on Sept. 3 and before that caught wet surfaces she didn’t seem to love in two of her three other starts this year. She was off poorly in her lone fast-track start this season, was a two-time Indiana-bred stakes winner last fall, and has some upside Wednesday.