Gun Runner and Untapable stakes lead to major 3-year-old series

It always has been the Lecomte Stakes in January that began sorting Fair Grounds-based Triple Crown hopefuls. Now that process starts in December.

The Sugar Bowl and the Letellier, six-furlong sprints, marked Fair Grounds’ first stakes steps toward, respectively, the Louisiana Derby and the Fair Grounds Oaks. Those races this season were bumped from the so-called Super Santa card (they’ll be contested Monday) and replaced by $100,000 routes, the Gun Runner and the Untapable, which anchor a six-stakes Sunday program.

The 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner goes as race 11 on a 13-race card (first post noon Central) and is the third leg in a late pick five (races 9-13) with a $103,893 carryover. The Gun Runner is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby with 17 Derby qualifying points distributed 10-4-2-1 to the first four finishers. Only seven colts and geldings were entered, but this is a talented group.

Epicenter is the 5-2 morning-line favorite but Rocket Dawg and Tejano Twist are listed at 3-1. The others set to start are Waita Minute Hayes, Surfer Dude, Kevin’s Folly, and the overmatched Rich Strike.

Waita Minute Hayes took a very tough disqualification after crossing the wire first last out in the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes on Nov. 20 at Delta Downs, but he’ll need to do better. Surfer Dude hit a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure last month but earlier was soundly beaten by Epicenter and Tejano Twist. Kevin’s Folly won well first out and holds promise, but appealing physical characteristics have outpaced other areas of development.

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“It was a great debut at Saratoga, but since then he’s taking a long time mentally to catch up to his appearance,” said trainer Tom Amoss.

Tejano Twist, the race’s only gelding, also required repetition to grasp racing; the Gun Runner will be his ninth start.

“The fact is, he’s just figured out how to run the last two races,” said trainer Bret Calhoun,

Those races, both over 6 1/2 furlongs, were a Keeneland allowance-race romp and a half-length win in the $200,000 Lively Shively at Churchill Downs, where Tejano Twist rallied into a slow pace.

“Since he’s mentally matured and figured out how to relax, it’s time to try two turns,” Calhoun said. “He never gave me any indication he couldn’t; the only thing I wonder about is his breeding on the bottom side.”

Tejano Twist is from Practical Joke’s first crop and is out of the Cuvee mare Haley’s Lollipop, a stakes-placed sprinter.

Epicenter and Rocket Dawg try two turns for the first time, and their connections are confident they’ll run long.

Rocket Dawg, a son of Classic Empire, makes his first start since a seven-furlong debut Nov. 19 yielded an eye-catching 5 1/2-length victory. Racing from seventh while facing 10 foes, Rocket Dawg made multiple moves and strode out beautifully to the wire.

“He did everything right and I think he wants to go long,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He had a good work at Fair Grounds. What he lacks in seasoning and experience we hope he makes up for in talent.”

Epicenter is by Not This Time and has dam’s side European turf stamina. Trained over the winter at El Primero, Keith Asmussen’s famed facility in Texas, Epicenter faded to sixth in his September debut but won well second time out, racing on the lead going a one-turn mile.

“I was a little disappointed in his first run, but he got pretty tired,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He’s done well since. Two turns is not an issue.”

Epicenter breaks from the rail and should make the early lead. Whoever has it at the finish will go into 2022 a leading Fair Grounds 3-year-old.

Untapable Stakes

Sure, the horses in front of her were slowing dramatically, but a favorable setup alone doesn’t account for Cocktail Moments’ 9 1/2-length debut win Nov. 27.

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Cocktail Moments, a 26-1 shot, cruised to the lead in upper stretch and drew dramatically away from 11 rivals in a seven-furlong maiden race. The competition was soft, but Cocktail Moments, going easily, ran her last furlong in 12.05 seconds, 1.13 seconds better than the next-best come-home time. She galloped out with aplomb, drawing some 20 lengths clear around the clubhouse turn.

“I’m not going to tell you we had a definitive line on her first out, but she’s a good horse,” said trainer Ken McPeek, who shipped Cocktail Moments from Keeneland for her route debut in the mile and 70-yard Untapable Stakes.

Florida-based Corey Lanerie rode Cocktail Moments last month and rides at Fair Grounds on Sunday, but McPeek said he didn’t realize Lanerie was coming when he gave jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. the call. Cocktail Moments worked a half-mile in 49.20 seconds Wednesday at Fair Grounds.

“The tactics are going to be completely different this time,” McPeek said. “I think you’ll see her right on the pace.”

California Angel, a graded stakes winner routing on turf, tries her first two-turn dirt race. She rallied decently Sept. 30 at Churchill in a six-furlong dirt start but the Fair Grounds surface has not been kind recently to horses with her closing style.

North County is the race’s other two-time winner, those victories coming on Indiana Grand turf and in an off-turf Keeneland allowance. Visually encouraging, both performances came up light on speed figures.

Rail drawn Fannie and Freddie won a Fair Grounds dirt-route maiden in her last start and is set to improve.

“She does everything aggressively – gallop, breeze – so I only worked her once between starts,” said trainer Al Stall Jr. “I like the way she looks. She’s put on weight and I’m looking forward to running her.”