Fair Grounds: Divine Beauty unlikely for Fair Grounds Oaks

Trainer Larry Jones said Monday he isn’t certain what’s next for the promising 3-year-old The Trunk Monkey, who ran his record to 2 for 2 with an allowance win Friday at Fair Grounds. But Jones is fairly sure that Divine Beauty, a good second behind Unbridled Forever in the Jan. 18 Silverbulletday Stakes, won’t make the March 29 Fair Grounds Oaks.

Divine Beauty, who won her first two starts, last posted a timed workout Feb. 3, when she went a slow five furlongs after finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind Unbridled Forever in the Silverbulletday.

When Jones ruled Divine Beauty out of the Feb. 22 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, saying the filly wasn’t quite right physically, he said Divine Beauty still might make the Fair Grounds Oaks, but Divine Beauty still hasn’t worked, and the local Oaks now is out, too.

“I don’t think she’s going to be back in time,” Jones said. “She’s doing well, everything seems good, she seems to be healthy. She’s back on the track galloping, but we really haven’t done a whole lot with her.”

The Trunk Monkey, a flashy son of Old Fashioned owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms, won his six-furlong debut Jan. 31 by a neck over Glacken Too, who came back to easily win a maiden special weight sprint Feb. 22. The Trunk Monkey was stretched to two turns in an off-the-turf, first-level allowance race Feb. 28, led through a very fast pace, and won by 6 1/2 lengths, with his time of 1:42.90 for one mile and 70 yards producing an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

The Trunk Monkey blasted through an opening half-mile in 46.15 seconds – a sprint pace at Fair Grounds – en route to victory, and though his horse was able to win despite going so fast, Jones hoped to see The Trunk Monkey rate more kindly.

“He’s an easy enough horse to gallop, and I feel like we can throttle his speed a little,” Jones said. “I’ve learned, though, you don’t want to take the speed away from these horses.”

Jones already has Risen Star Stakes runner-up Albano for the Louisiana Derby but said he would consider that race for The Trunk Monkey if it appeared to be coming up with a short field.

“We’re here, and a stakes is probably going to be the next item on the agenda,” Jones said. “I wish we had a little more time with him before throwing him into water that deep.”