Fonner Park: Pair of 3-year-olds stakes on tap

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – A pair of stakes for 3-year-olds highlight the Saturday afternoon card at Fonner Park. The $15,000-added Baxter Stakes features open company 3-year-olds going six furlongs, and the Pepsi Stakes, for fillies at six furlongs, features the same $15,000-added purse.

Offlee Royal headlines the Baxter field as he seeks a third-straight win at the meet for trainer Chuck Turco. Offlee Royal won his maiden at first asking here Feb. 23 when he drew off for a widening two-length win, going a half-mile. He tried entry-level allowance company, going six furlongs in his last start, and showed grit to score a neck win in a respectable 1:13.60 over this five-eighths-mile track.

Get a Notion makes his first start of the year for trainer Tyrone Gleason and represents the only other winner in the field of seven. He won his maiden at first asking last summer at Arapahoe Park. He followed up with a nonthreatening seventh in the Gold Rush Futurity there, then went on the shelf.

The Pepsi Stakes, with a field of nine fillies, appears a more wide-open affair. Trainer Nancy Sheehan’s Habitually Golden was a romping six-length maiden winner in her first appearance here March 9, going a half-mile. She led throughout and widened in the lane that day but will need to demonstrate that she can stretch that speed out.

Marv Johnson’s Zapachula comes into the race off a lifetime condition claiming win but has the experience to make the step up. Zapachula won her maiden at Sam Houston, going a route Feb. 1, then was acquired by Johnson and has a pair of starts over the track here.