J S Bach forced to adjust to scheduling changes

NEW ORLEANS – Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, one can find a few folks wandering the French Quarter in New Orleans with a “What am I doing here?” glaze over their eyes.

A couple miles away at Fair Grounds, forgive the colt J S Bach if he has adopted a similar bearing.

Todd Pletcher, who trains J S Bach for Double Diamond Farm, shipped J S Bach from his Florida base at Palm Beach Downs to race this past Monday in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Only, there was neither a Southwest Stakes nor any racing at all Monday at Oaklawn. A winter storm forced the card’s cancellation, and continued frigid weather this week called into question the viability of even conducting training. So on Monday, Pletcher entered J S Bach in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. The colt boarded a southbound horse trailer the next morning.

“I don’t think there’s any way to sugarcoat it into making it out like this is something we set out to do,” Pletcher said. “Sometimes Mother Nature intervenes, and you have to call some audibles.”

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The possibility of missing more training concerned Pletcher, but he also did not know who would ride J S Bach when the Southwest was brought back – on Sunday, it turns out. John Velazquez was to have ridden the horse Monday but was unavailable this weekend. Pletcher already was sending three horses to Fair Grounds with Rafael Bejarano booked for those mounts, and Bejarano was open for the Risen Star.

That supplied some measure of comfort, but it remains to be seen how J S Bach handles the disruptions. Pletcher said he’s not fretting about J S Bach missing a few days of galloping, but the colt now is off his regular work pattern.

“I would be more concerned about that fact he’ll be 13 days without a breeze,” Pletcher said.

The gap in works could leave J S Bach flat, or having been denied the chance to run faster for so long, he could be too fresh and overly eager.

“Having horses in New York for the winter, we often encounter conditions like this, and sometimes they run as well or better,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully the horse was fit enough already.”

J S Bach has a good draw for the Risen Star, post 4 in the field of 10. A talented colt, he took a surprising debut loss in a Florida-bred maiden race, finishing second in a 5 1/2-furlong race. Pletcher said the distance was “too sharp” for J S Bach, who is by Tale of the Cat and out of a Pulpit mare. In his second start, on Jan. 17 at Gulfstream, he went to the front, set a moderate pace, and drew off to win by 8 1/2 lengths. Despite his lack of seasoning and accomplishment, he still figures one of the top choices Saturday, along with Imperia, who was second by a head in the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club last out, and International Star, who won the Lecomte here last month.