Fair Grounds: Heitai has best Beyers, but is unproven on turf

The about 5 1/2-furlong distance of Saturday’s $60,000 Costa Rising Stakes is right for Heitai, a pure sprinter with blazing speed. And Heitai hardly could sport stronger recent form: His 18 3/4-length win Nov. 1 at Delta produced a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, while his seven-length dusting of the nearest pursuer last month in the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint came back a 104 Beyer. Those were two of the highest sprint Beyers anywhere in North America during 2013.

But there’s a rub. The Costa Rising is carded for turf. Heitai never has set foot on a grass course, and it’s entirely possible his speed won’t prove such an asset on turf as on dirt.

Heitai, trained by Karl Broberg for owner-breeder Rowell Enterprises, is one of 12 older Louisiana-breds entered in the Costa Rising, the ninth of 10 races on Saturday at Fair Grounds. Co-featured is race 8, a first-level sprint allowance for 3-year-olds that attracted promising runners Big Sugar Soda, Kendall’s Boy, and Divine View.

In fact, if the New Orleans forecast holds, the Costa Rising might not mark Heitai’s turf debut after all. There’s a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday night, and it would not take much rain to move Saturday’s races on the perpetually-drying-out Fair Grounds grass course to dirt. Heitai’s win in the Champions Day Sprint came on a sloppy track, and he becomes a more formidable front-end player if the Costa Rising is switched to the main track. As for grass potential, Heitai is by Fusaichi Pegasus and out of the mare Sparkles of Luck, who won a $100,000 turf stakes race. One of the mare’s two other foals to race, Muffin, is a two-time turf winner.

Southern Dude finished a distant second to Heitai in the Champions Day Sprint, though the margin was inflated by a track surface that began promoting speed horses after heavy rain fell during the card. Southern Dude – who runs Saturday whether the Costa Rising is on turf or dirt, trainer Tom Amoss said – is a five-time dirt winner who also has a Louisiana-bred turf-sprint stakes score on his résumé.

On turf, Kissimmee Kyle merits a glance: He managed only two starts during 2013, but is 2 for 2 in grass sprints for trainer Al Stall. On dirt, Heavy On Themister has to be considered. He won an off-the-turf open second-level allowance sprint Dec. 7 at Fair Grounds and has been one of the best Louisiana-bred main-track runners of the last two seasons.

Promising 3-year-olds meet

Race 8, the first-level allowance carded for six furlongs, restricted to 3-year-olds, and also open to $50,000 claimers, lured three of the more promising young horses at Fair Grounds. Big Sugar Soda finished third behind In Trouble and Corfu in the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont when last seen in action for trainer Steve Asmussen. Kendall’s Boy’s best race was his Saratoga debut on Aug. 23, an encouraging second-place finish behind Havana in a sharp 5 1/2-furlong dash. And Divine View, sixth in the one-mile Springboard Mile on Dec. 15, could benefit from a return to a sprint distance for trainer Larry Jones.