Ehsaan gets back to turf, goes for third win of the meet

Ehsaan has proven to be quite a useful claim for trainer Maria Bowersock, as he will go for his third win of the Tampa Bay Downs meet on Wednesday when he runs in a competitive $32,000 starter-allowance/optional-claiming race scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Bowersock claimed Ehsaan from Jamie Ness on Jan. 3 for $32,000 out of a maiden race in which the 3-year-old gelding finished third as the even-money favorite. Bowersock brought the horse back 18 days later in maiden special weight company, added blinkers to his equipment, and Ehsaan scored a neck victory at 20-1. That race produced three next-out winners.

“When I watched his replays before we claimed him, I thought he definitely needed blinkers,” Bowersock said. “I think it’s really helped him. He’s getting better and better but he’s the type of horse that sill runs a little green and in the morning he’s a little green. That’s okay, good horses can do that.”

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Stepped up against winners in a starter allowance/optional claimer, Ehsaan won again, this time by 2 3/4 lengths, despite breaking a bit awkwardly and having to rally from last and wide under Ronald Allen Jr. The third-place finisher from that race, Elevated Game, who had a difficult trip into the first turn, came back to win for $20,000 claiming for Ness on March 15. Elevated Game is back in this field.

On March 23, Ehsaan was entered again in a starter allowance but it was rained off the turf. Ehsaan, by Into Mischief, still ran a credible third on the dirt.

“If I could take it back, I probably wouldn’t have run him on the dirt, but he ran a good race, nothing embarrassing,” Bowersock said.

With a favorable forecast Wednesday, Ehsaan should be able to get back on the turf. He also should get a lively pace in which to close.

“He wants speed in front of him and he likes to close, that’s a main factor in his races,” Bowersock said.

Ehsaan breaks from post 7. There appears to be speed inside and outside of him.

Elevated Game won that March 15 race while on the lead under Antonio Gallardo. Breaking from post 10 Wednesday, Gallardo will likely have to use the colt’s speed again.

Inside of Elevated Game is Fidelightcayut, who made a successful turf debut on Dec. 27, winning this condition while pressing the pace. Three of the horses he beat that day – Deep Strike, Outofthedark, and Lord Knows – are in this field.

Inside of Ehsaan is Brush Rush, who did win a maiden $16,000 claimer while racing on the front end in his lone turf try. He has the apprentice Melissa Iroio to ride.

King Faliero has raced exclusively on dirt and showed speed in his last three sprints for the meet’s leading trainer Kathleen O’Connell.

Lord Knows finished second to Ehsaan in this condition on Feb. 28 and tries him again Wednesday after stepping up to the Sophomore Turf Stakes on March 23 where he finished fifth of sixth behind Crystal Quest. Prevent, the runner-up from that race, came to win a first-level allowance last Friday at Gulfstream Park.

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