Got Country Grip goes for 17

Got Country Grip puts his perfect 16-for-16 record on the line on Saturday at Remington in the $25,000 Mister Lewie Memorial Handicap. The 400-yard event for Paints and Appaloosas drew just four opponents and Got Country Grip is the 2-5 morning-line favorite. He is asked to carry 130 pounds, giving his rivals 10 to 14 pounds.

But Got Country Grip has overcome hardship before. He carried 129 when winning this race last year and carried 130 to win another stakes in the slop at Lone Star last November. After that race, Got Country Grip got some time off and came back to make it 16 in a row and stay unbeaten when winning an allowance race here March 27. The 5-year-old gelding won by three-quarters of a length over Bust N Moves, a rival Saturday, but the margin isn't indicative of his dominance, as he won under wraps. G.R. Carter, his partner through this streak, which matches what Thoroughbreds Citation, Mister Frisky, Cigar, and Hallowed Dreams accomplished, is aboard again.

The logical candidate if an upset occurs is Bust N Moves. He's maintained strong form the past couple seasons, finishing in the first three in 10 straight. He carried equal weight with Got Country Grip when second in that March 27 allowance race and that also marked his first outing since Dec. 7. He will carry 120 pounds, including jockey Adalberto Candanosa.