Instilled Regard possible for Risen Star Stakes

NEW ORLEANS – Instilled Regard had his head out of his stall and nipped at a passerby’s sweater Sunday morning, the day after he won the Lecomte Stakes here at Fair Grounds, and the positive signs he gave appeared backed up by what trainer Jerry Hollendorfer had seen earlier in the day.

“We looked at him early this morning, jogged him down the road,” Hollendorfer said. “He ate good last night. We’re happy with how he came out of it.”

Instilled Regard got a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 92 after running one mile, 70 yards in 1:42.59 and winning the Lecomte by 3 3/4 lengths over Principe Guilherme. The speed figure equaled the number Instilled Regard earned finishing a close third in the Los Alamitos Futurity in his previous start, and Instilled Regard acted professionally from start to finish Saturday while finishing and galloping out like a horse who will handle longer distances.

Instilled Regard raced twice in sprints to start his career, but Hollendorfer always regarded the colt, by Arch out of a strong female family, as a route horse.

“We thought once he got stretched out, he’d be a little better horse,” Hollendorfer said. “We’re happy to have a horse that has tactical speed. He doesn’t have to have the lead or come from behind. Javier [Castellano] was very pleased with the way the horse ran. He said he did whatever he wanted him to do.”

Instilled Regard not only has raced five times but has been working without missing a beat since May 26.

“I try to work the horses on a regular schedule and he’s been able to handle that. He’s got a pretty good foundation in him,” Hollendorfer said.

Instilled Regard, owned by Lawrence Best’s OXO Equine LLC, flies back to California on Monday. No plans are firmly set for his next start, but a return trip to Fair Grounds for the Risen Star Stakes Feb. 17 will definitely be considered.

“We’ll get him back to California, train him, and make a decision,” Hollendorfer said.

Trainer Steve Asmussen sent out the second-, third-, and fourth-place Lecomte finishers - Principe Guilherme, Snapper Sinclair, and Zing Zang – and said Sunday that all three had come out of the race in good shape. Principe Guilherme lost ground on both turns after breaking from an outside post, and suffered his first defeat after two blowout wins to start his career. Asmussen believes the colt tired late in the Lecomte, and tentative plans call for him to run back in the Risen Star.

Snapper Sinclair ran an extremely game race to finish just a neck behind Principe Guilherme after being involved in a strong pace from the start. Asmussen said Sunday that immediate race plans have yet to be formulated for Snapper Sinclair and Zing Zang.