Gierkink: Parise sizzles in allowance

Sunday, May 4, review

A very strong west wind sped up the fractions, and Parise ran lights-out during his decisive score in a six-furlong allowance. The 4-year-old Tiznow gelding zipped through splits of 22.01 seconds and 43.94 en route to a 3 3/4-length tally in 1:08.68, which was just 0.50 seconds off Essence Hit Man’s Polytrack record. He received a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

Parise graduated here in the fall for trainer John Charalambous, with whom he was reunited this spring after starting once at Gulfstream. Emma-Jayne Wilson was aboard for both of his triumphs. It shouldn’t take him long to clear the second allowance condition.

It was great to see the lanky gray/roan Kay’s Grace find the winner’s circle in the sixth race, an Ontario-sired allowance. She showed promise two years ago during her sophomore campaign, but things went awry after she was scratched from the 2012 Classy ‘N Smart Stakes after flipping in the gate. After racing wide throughout Sunday, she closed stoutly in the lane to win comfortably, earning $38,220 for the partnership of Mike Dunslow and trainer Lisa Burry.

The Bob Tiller-trained 3-year-old fillies She Ain’t Bad and Sweater Weather ran one-two in the ninth, in which nobody hit the Jackpot Hi 5 outright. The consolation payoff was a big $1,410, and the carryover into Friday is $61,143.

Tiller and Mark Casse are tied atop the trainers’ standings with nine wins apiece. Tiller had one more starter than Casse, whose runners have produced a small flat-bet profit at the meet.

In contrast to the two previous days, when the inside was preferred, the track played relatively fairly during the nine-race card of sprints.

Horses to watch

Too Many Egbert’s
Trainer: Paul Buttigieg
Last race: May 4, 7th
Finish: 2nd by 4 1/2
Beyer: 57
He broke a length behind the others before racing wide throughout and was along for second in a commendable debut going five-eighths. He’s bred to be a miler, and his trainer’s second-out stats are much better than his numbers with first-timers.

Ascot Martin
Trainer: Mike Keogh
Last race: May 4, 5th
Finish: 4th by 4 3/4
Beyer: 64
He missed the break before taking the long way around while closing from ninth to land on the edges in a six-furlong maiden special weight race. It was his first start since Nov. 29, when he was a wide second going long at Fair Grounds, and it should set him up well for the stretch-out.