Fairmount: Three threats in Forego

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - One week after classy shipper It's Lucky romped by 17 lengths at Fairmount Park in the Spend a Buck Stakes, the local horses will get a bit of a breather in the $30,000 Forego Handicap, a mile and 70-yard race for colts and geldings.

Rarely does a trifecta look as clear cut as in this six-horse field of Fairmount veterans. The 5-year-olds Robin Zee and Canyon de Oro look like legitimate favorites at 7-5 and 8-5 on the track's morning line.

"It looks like a three-horse race to me," said Fairmount racing director Bobby Pace, who views the Ralph Martinez-trained 7-year-old Moe B Dick as a threat at 7-2. "I just think the public's going to make Robin Zee a slight favorite. The race he got beat here at Fairmount going long, he was coming back in a week, and I think that was a little quick for him to come back."

Robin Zee finished fourth going a mile in the June 5 race Pace mentioned, 10 3/4 lengths off the winner, Mr. Mink, and eight lengths back of the runner-up, Forego rival Canyon de Oro. Canyon de Oro has finished in the money in 12 of 18 starts at Fairmount, including seven victories.

Incidentally, that race marked Robin Zee's lone loss at Fairmount in three starts. His two wins have come in sprints, however, which makes the seasoned, versatile Moe B Dick the value play.