Fairmount: Two fast locals in sprint

There are 10 horses in the $40,000 Troy Our Boy Stakes for Illinois-bred 2-year-olds Saturday at Fairmount Park, but the real race might come down to a pair of speedy locals and two Chicago invaders.

The Troy Our Boy is only a six-furlong race, but just one of the horses entered in it has gone beyond 5 1/2. In fact, the Troy Our Boy should draw a line between the precocious five-furlong 2-year-olds of summer and those horses - horses with a little more substance - who will go farther in the fall.

The Fairmount flashes are Tazi's Brother, who won his career debut by almost six lengths on Aug. 11, and Smooth Cart, who debuted Aug. 23 with a 6 1/4-length victory. Both horses raced on the lead, both won five-furlong races, and with even more speed entered in the Troy Our Boy, something is going to give this time.

The Chicagoans are Never End and Johnny Thunder, with an edge going to the latter. Both horses exit open stakes against significantly better competition, and Johnny Thunder, coming off a bullet half-mile work Aug. 30 at Arlington, races with Lasix for the first time.