Lone Star Park: Big Beyers for Triumph and Song and Lasting Bubbles

Texas-breds Triumph and Song and Lasting Bubbles ran lofty Beyer Speed Figures in winning statebred stakes at Lone Star opening week.

Triumph and Song, a 4-year-old gelding, earned a 99 Beyer for his win against males in the opening-night Premiere. To put that in perspective, Justin Phillip ran a 103 in winning Saturday’s Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn and Handsome Mike posted a 94 in taking the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland.

Lasting Bubbles, a 5-year-old mare, ran a 96 in Saturday’s JEH Stallion Stakes, ahead of the 92 Last Full Measure ran in taking the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland the same afternoon.

Broberg, Murphy start quick

Trainer Karl Broberg and jockey Glen Murphy quickly vaulted to the top of their respective standings at Lone Star after the meet’s first week.

Broberg won with 8 of 15 starters, giving him a five-win advantage over trainer Danny Pish, who went 3 for 12.

Murphy also picked up eight winners, doing so from 23 mounts. This gave him a three-win lead over Alfredo Contreras. Murphy was aboard for six of Broberg’s eight winners.

If Murphy is to maintain his lead this spring and summer, he will likely have to hold off Cliff Berry, who resumes riding at Lone Star on Thursday after completing the Oaklawn Park meet. Berry is the all-time leading rider in Lone Star history.

Turf races carded

Turf racing is scheduled to resume Thursday, weather permitting, after the track canceled grass racing opening week to give the course an extra week of spring growth.

Expected rain on Thursday could delay turf racing a bit longer, however. As of midday Tuesday, weather.com was forecasting an 80 percent chance of showers Thursday, with the potential for severe thunderstorms.

Rain could complicate feature

Rain would add some uncertainty to the featured eighth race on the main track Thursday night, too.

A $21,000 first-level allowance for 3- and 4-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs, it is a race in which the favorites are untested on a wet dirt track. That includes 5-2 morning-line choice Ritz Master, the 3-1 entry of Double Ours and Right Charlie, and 7-2 shot Afleet Halo.

The race is challenging to handicap as is. Of the aforementioned runners, only Ritz Master has run recently, and he performed poorly, finishing ninth in a turf race at Fair Grounds on March 6. Double Ours, Right Charlie, and Afleet Halo are returning from layoffs.

Afleet Halo, away since running second Aug. 25 at Louisiana Downs, might hold a slight advantage, despite his long absence. He has trained steadily at Fair Grounds and Louisiana Downs leading up to his return and ran the top Beyer in the race, an 89, in his last start.