Far Right hopes for better trip in Jackpot

Far Right could be a sleeper in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot next Saturday. He will come into the 1 1/16-mile race off a troubled third-place finish in the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. Conquest Tsunami won that race and likely will vie for favoritism in the Jackpot, which will anchor a card of eight stakes worth $2.3 million in total.

The fields for the Jackpot and the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess – expected to draw the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, Take Charge Brandi – will be set Tuesday. The races are expected to be part of an all-stakes pick four that will have a minimum pool of $200,000. The card has a special afternoon first post of 1:15 Central.

Far Right was beaten 2 3/4 lengths Oct. 26 in the Street Sense, a one-turn mile. He closed well in the late stages.

“He had a pretty weird break, where he had a lot of trouble early, or he wouldn’t have been that far off of such a slow pace,” said Ron Moquett, who trains Far Right. “The break means quite a bit. We were shuffled back, another horse came over on us a little bit, and we had to pull up out of there.”

Far Right was to have had his final work for the Jackpot on Saturday at his Churchill base. The move would be weather permitting, Moquett said Friday. Corey Lanerie has the mount in the Jackpot. Far Right is scheduled to fly in Monday, said Moquett.

Harry Rosenblum privately purchased Far Right following his second career start, said Moquett. The horse won a maiden special weight race in his first start for his new connections, rolling home by five lengths and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 85. The next outing came at Churchill in September. From there, Far Right was fourth to Blofeld in the Futurity before the Street Sense.

“You always like to have a horse that can run in a spot like [the Jackpot], and it looks like we’ve got a horse that should be competitive,” said Moquett.

Far Right will be making his two-turn debut. He is a son of Notional, whose biggest wins came in routes – the Risen Star at Fair Grounds in 2007 and the Salvator Mile in 2008. Notional also ran second in the Florida Derby.

“We definitely think there’s two turns in him,” said Moquett.

Others possible for the Jackpot include Wake Up Nick, a four-time stakes winner based in Southern California, and Mr. Z, who has placed in three graded stakes, including the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.

Flights for Delta, Zia stakes

In addition to Delta running its richest race of the season this month, Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., will be putting on its biggest races with the $1.1 million Land of Enchantment program Nov. 26. The card is led by the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks and $200,000 Zia Park Derby, both for Thoroughbreds.

Flights bringing horses to the region will start arriving soon. A plane from Kentucky is scheduled to bring horses to Houston on Monday, said Chris Warren, director of racing for Delta. A second flight from California to Houston is scheduled for Thursday. In both cases, the horses that travel by air will van about two hours to Delta.

A flight for the Zia races is scheduled to arrive in the region Nov. 24, said Fred Hutton, the track’s director of racing. The flight will originate in California and bring horses to El Paso, Texas. From there, the runners will travel about three hours by van to Zia.

Entries for Zia’s program will be taken Wednesday, said Hutton.