Fair Grounds: Sir Applesolutely tries turf in allowance feature

The two races on the Saturday card at Fair Grounds that look like stakes, the Kudzu Juvenile and the Magic City Classic, are barely worth noticing. But a second-level turf-sprint allowance later on the program is a worthy feature.

The Kudzu and the Magic City are Fair Grounds’s annual nod to the Alabama breeding program – what there is of it. The $25,000 Kudzu, for 2-year-olds, drew just five entrants and has more first-time starters (two) than winners (one). Trainer Scott Gelner holds the hot hand in this year’s Kudzu, though it’s not all that simple separating Strike for Gold and Hitchismyname.

The $50,000 Magic City is at least more compelling from a wagering perspective, with nine horses entered to run one mile and 70 yards on the main track. The field includes Abama Light, who won the 2012 Magic City at odds of 43-1 and hasn’t finished better than third in nine starts since.

The card’s true feature, race 8, is carded at about 5 1/2 furlongs on grass for second-level allowance horses or $40,000 claimers. Eleven horses were entered, but Maybe So runs only if the race is moved to the main track.

This could prove an ideal spot for Sir Applesolutely – if his strong Polytrack form transfers to turf. A winner in four of his nine starts, and worse than third in only one of those races, Sir Applesolutely exits a strong second in a third-level sprint allowance on Keeneland’s synthetic racing surface. He is by Henny Hughes, the sire of the excellent filly Beholder, and out of the mare Applesolutely, who was a grass horse herself. But Sir Applesolutely’s races all have come on Polytrack, and it seems strange that Chris Block, who trained the horse until Neil Pessin took over before the Keeneland start, never gave the 4-year-old gelding a shot on turf.

He gets one Saturday, however, and should get an excellent setup with really fast horses like Amanecer de Oro, Jo Jo’s Comet, Red Maserati, and Ronson lined up. The Louisiana-bred Amanecer de Oro, the winner of the 2011 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint, is mildly interesting if he could somehow rate a touch for jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.

As for Alabama-breds, there are none to be found in the actual Saturday feature.