Fair Grounds: Solitary Ranger tries grass

There’s no stakes action, but there’s a graded stakes winner, Solitary Ranger, set to start on the 11-race Saturday card at Fair Grounds.

Solitary Ranger, winner of the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity in September, is one of seven 2-year-olds entered in race 5, a first-level allowance also open to $50,000 claimers and carded for about 5 1/2 furlongs on grass. Other than running through fields and paddocks, Solitary Ranger has never been on turf, but his connections – trainer Wayne Catalano and owner Susan Moulton – long have considered Solitary Ranger for the surface.

“I think he’s going to be real good on it,” Catalano said. “He’s got all the pedigree in the world for grass.”

Solitary Ranger is by U S Ranger, a turf miler, and out of a mare by Lil E. Tee, the Kentucky Derby winner who has proven a surprisingly solid grass influence. Two of Solitary Ranger’s four siblings who made the races won on grass.

Solitary Ranger got an early start to his career, racing twice this past April at Keeneland. He ran well in both starts but had the misfortune of encountering two sharp Wesley Ward-trained first-time starters, first the capable Pablo del Monte, and then No Nay Never, who went on to win the Group 1 Prix Morny in France. Solitary Ranger finished second in both those 4 1/2-furlong tries, and didn’t race again until he won the Sept. 7 Arlington-Washington Futurity over one mile by more than five lengths. In his most recent start, Solitary Ranger set a swift early pace before fading to ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, his two-turn debut.

“That track was a little hard for him,” Catalano said. “He had an abscess pop out after that that was probably festering when he ran there.”

Gun Roar, trained by Steve Asmussen, also makes his turf debut in the race while starting for the first time since finishing sixth over sloppy going in the June 29 Bashford Manor at Churchill. By Bernstein and out of a Dixieland Band mare, Gun Roar also is bred to handle turf, as is Copy Catter, a private purchase following a maiden-claiming romp at Gulfstream Park over the summer.

Race 6, a first-level allowance for older fillies and mares at six furlongs on dirt, features the return from a long layoff of Divine Happiness, who showed substantial promise last Fair Grounds season for trainer Larry Jones and co-owner and breeder Brereton Jones.

Easy breeze for Tapiture

Tapiture, 4 1/4-length winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in his most recent start, had his first timed workout since shipping to New Orleans, breezing an easy half-mile in 51.20 seconds on Sunday at Fair Grounds.

“Just a holiday maintenance breeze so he didn’t kick the walls down,” said trainer Steve Asmussen.

Asmussen said no specific race plans have been set for Tapiture, who won for the first time in his KJC romp.