Fair Grounds: Country Day takes advantage of position in Colonel Power Stakes

In the Bonapaw Stakes on Dec. 17, Chamberlain Bridge got the clear outside run, defeating Country Day by one length. The positional tables were turned Saturday in the Colonel Power Stakes as were the results, with Country Day home by a length over Chamberlain Bridge in the $75,000 turf sprint.

Country Day, a 6-year-old Klein family homebred by Speightstown, had lost his last five starts before Saturday’s race, but one of those defeats produced a big payday, when Country Day finished second in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

“He’s had some tough beats, but he always ran well against top competition,” trainer Steve Margolis said.

Breaking alertly under James Graham, Country Day stalked the pace of Zeb and Joe Hollywood on the backstretch, looming four or five wide at the top of the stretch after a half-mile in a moderate 46.31 seconds. Cactus Son, coming through along the inside and racing several paths away from Country Day, stayed on past the sixteenth pole, but Country Day was going slightly better, pushing clear in the final 50 yards or so.

Chamberlain Bridge, racing among horses and inside Country Day around the turn and into the stretch, stayed on decently to nip Cactus Son for the place.

Winning time for 5 1/2 furlongs on good turf was 1:04.20. The 8-5 favorite, Country Day paid $5.20 to win.