King's preview: Morning rain shifts races to main track

Steady rain that began Friday evening and continued into Saturday morning resulted in the scheduled turf races – the fifth, seventh, and ninth – being moved to the main track.

Katie’s Eyes should be tough to stop in the fifth with the surface switch, provided she can get the 1 1/8-mile distance. She was twice stakes-placed in synthetic stakes in her last two starts but ran well twice before that in dirt races at Fair Grounds.

Another horse with proven main-track form in the fifth is Cabana, who rallied with a wide trip to be second in an allowance April 4 at Oaklawn. She is 15-1 on the morning line but will surely drop lower with the change in surface and some scratches in the race.

The connections of Brazilian Court got the scenario they wanted in the seventh with that race being moved to the dirt. Brazilian Court had been entered to run for the main track only.

Although unraced for more than a year, he has established dirt form – something the vast majority of the horses in the seventh race do not. He also shows a steady and consistent work tab leading up to his return for the winning Mike Maker stable.

The featured Unbridled Sydney doesn’t figure to be impacted too much from the change in surface – as some of the leading contenders have shown the versatility to handle both turf and dirt. That includes favorites Point to the Wild and Sweet Cassiopeia.

Saturday Nthe Park probably has the most upside due to the shift to dirt, having performed at a high level on the main track at Fair Grounds over the winter, where she nearly won the off-the-turf Mardi Gras Stakes, just getting caught in the final stride by graded stakes winner Cozze Up Lady.

The main track was sloppy this morning, but being quick drying, its condition could be upgraded if further rain doesn’t fall.

Early Scratches

Race 1: #2 Gallant Eagle (IRE)
Race 3: #4 Sky Venture
Race 5: #2 Share the Sugar; #4 Stellaris
Race 7: #1 Aunt Ruby's Kitten; #5 Above the Bar; #9 Neidermeyer