Friar Laurence gets first distance test in Leonatus Stakes

Friar Laurence, unbeaten in his two-start career, takes a step forward in both class and distance as he makes his stakes debut Saturday night in the $100,000 Leonatus Stakes for 3-year-olds on the synthetic track at Turfway Park.

The one-mile Leonatus could serve as a launching point into Turfway’s 3-year-old stakes that offer Kentucky Derby points. The $120,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on March 5 is a 1 1/16-mile race offering its top finishers Derby qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale. The Grade 3, $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on April 2 is a nine-furlong race awarding points on a 100-40-20-10 scale.

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Friar Laurence, trained by Ben Colebrook for Andrew Warren, was a 12-length winner of his debut, which came going 5 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 13 at Mahoning Valley in Ohio. The runner-up, Goodbyellowbrickrd, won his subsequent start.

Friar Laurence came back with a 1 3/4-length victory in a six-furlong allowance on Dec. 17 at Turfway. The runner-up was Twenty Four Mamba, second last summer in a stakes on the Tapeta track at Woodbine, who returns for the Leonatus. Friar Laurence earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 74 for the allowance victory, the top number in this field.

Friar Laurence, who fired a best-of-eight bullet work on Keeneland’s synthetic training track on Jan. 4, has a pedigree that suggests he could handle some added distance. The colt is by Violence, the sire of top-class sprinters Dr. Schivel, Volatile, and No Parole, but also the sire of Newgrange, this month’s winner of the Grade 3 Sham at a mile at Santa Anita. Friar Laurence is a half-brother to Unique Factor, a stakes winner at a mile. Their granddam, Grade 1 winner See How She Runs, produced Don’t Leave Me, winner of the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks going a mile at Turfway in 2015.

Friar Laurence drew the outside post in the field of 12 under regular rider Luan Machado. He rallied from off the pace in his two starts and is likely to do the same here.

The filly Zawish may be the one setting the pace. Trained by Helen Pitts, she employed early foot to win both her starts.

Zawish won going seven furlongs during the fall meet at Churchill Downs, and won at a mile Dec. 11 at Turfway, earning a Beyer of 66.

Zawish drew post 9 and will be ridden by Edgar Morales.

Wish Me Home won his maiden in front-running fashion over the turf at Colonial in August and then ran third on turf in stakes at Colonial and Laurel. In his most recent start, Wish Me Home ran third of six, beaten 12 1/2 lengths, in an allowance route over a muddy track on Jan. 2 at Laurel.

Erase showed early speed while winning his maiden last fall at Indiana for Brad Cox. Grantham and Chismoso, who have drawn the two inside posts, are pace-pressing runners.

◗ Beginning Feb. 3, Turfway will go back to racing on Thursday evenings, with a 6:15 p.m. first post. The Thursday cards will replace Sunday afternoon cards on the schedule.