Gantry, Class Included earn time off to prepare for winter campaigns

Gantry, Class Included, and Sunbean, who are among the top older horses based in the Mid-South region, are each targeting campaigns later in the year. The horses owned by Brittlyn Stable are based with trainer Ron Faucheux at the Evangeline Training Center near Lafayette, La.

Gantry is a Grade 2 winner of $822,531. He last raced on June 21, and finished fifth in the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint. Gantry was one of the top choices in the race on the strength of his win in the $58,800 Colonel Power on turf at Fair Grounds in March.

Class Included, a Grade 3 winner of $633,026, ran on the same card as Gantry at Evangeline Downs. She finished seventh as the favorite in the $100,000 Opelousas on turf, a few starts removed from a win in the $60,000 Bayou Handicap on turf at Fair Grounds in February.

“Both horses may be better on the dirt, and that’s probably where we’ll run them both back,” Faucheux said. “We’re going to give them each a couple of months off and get them back ready for the winter.”

Faucheux said Gantry is targeting the Thanksgiving Handicap on the main track at Fair Grounds in November. The horse won the race last year and in 2011. Class Included is a candidate for the Treasure Chest at Delta Downs on Nov. 22, he said. The purse of the race for fillies and mares was recently boosted from $150,000 to $200,000. Class Included won last year’s Treasure Chest.

Sunbean could run on the same card as the Treasure Chest, which is Jackpot Day at Delta. He is a candidate for the Delta Mile, which also had a purse increase, from $150,000 to $250,000. Faucheux said another option for Sunbean is the Gold Cup each fall at Delta.

Sunbean won the $100,000 Evangeline Mile in his last start June 21. Faucheux said the horse could have one more start before a winter campaign, with an option the $175,000 Governor’s Cup at Remington Park on Aug. 16.

“He’s in light training,” Faucheux said. “He’ll probably run one more time before his winter campaign.”

Sunbean is one of the top Louisiana-breds in training with earnings of $694,900.