Grainger County takes another shot at Avant Glory

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The one-race blinker experiment quickly a thing of the past, Grainger County will return to the main track looking to spring the upset over likely favorite Avant Glory in Sunday’s $43,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. The main event drew a field of seven Florida-breds to go six furlongs.

Grainger County finished an even fourth on Tapeta in his last outing, when pitted against open starter-allowance company and equipped with blinkers for the first time since the second start of his career more than two years earlier. Grainger County was beaten just 3 1/2 lengths by the 8-year-old winner Uncle B, who flattered the effort by returning to beat the same kind four weeks later.

“He’s kind of a funny horse,” trainer Bobby Dibona said of Grainger County. “Sometimes in his training he would shy away from the rail a little bit and I thought the blinkers might help. But I like the way he’s trained since that race without blinkers and I don’t think he really needs them, so I’m taking them off for Sunday. I also don’t feel like he was 100 percent going into the race that day, but he couldn’t be doing better now.”

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Grainger County will get a second chance at Avant Glory, having finished third, nearly three lengths behind his younger and vastly less experienced rival under conditions similar to Sunday’s race here in mid-July. Both chased home the speedy graded stakes-placed Dean Delivers, who registered a career best 98 Beyer Speed Figure while running to his 2-5 backing.

“Obviously we have Avant Glory to beat, but I love the way my horse is coming into this race, off a bullet workout and with a little more time between starts,” Dibona said. “I expect a big effort from him. I really think we can win this race.”

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the speedy Avant Glory, 3, was a game winner at first asking during the fall of 2021, then was laid up for nearly 10 months before returning with a huge effort off the bench. Avant Glory set a contested pace before succumbing to Dean Delivers on July 15. Avant Glory has been idle since, although he has posted five works, including a 47.00 half-mile at Palm Meadows on Sept. 3.

Septemberten certainly has the Beyer Speed Figures to prove competitive in this lineup while facing statebreds for the first time since finishing fourth going a mile on May 27. Septemberten has paired up 84 Beyer Figures in his last two starts, including a 6 1/2-length victory against open $12,500 claiming foes going seven furlongs earlier this month. He should be coming best of all at the end on the turn-back to six furlongs.

Inter Miami figures to press the pace of Avant Glory from his outside post. He encountered early trouble breaking from the rail when finishing a distant third facing statebreds for the first time in his 24-race career in his most recent appearance.

◗ Stall applications for the 2022-23 Championship meet are due Saturday, Sept. 24. The Championship session opens on Dec. 26.