Magna Breeze faces familiar foes in Richard King Turf

A pair of $50,000 Texas-bred stakes that were originally scheduled to be run in January top the Saturday card on closing weekend at Sam Houston Race Park. The meet will conclude with day programs Monday and Tuesday.

First post Saturday is 6 p.m. Central. The Monday and Tuesday cards start at noon.

The Yellow Rose and Richard King Turf were originally to be part of Texas Champions Weekend on Jan. 20-21, the first two race days of the meet. Those stakes were postponed, however, due to a equine herpesvirus outbreak and an ensuing quarantine in Louisiana.

The Richard King, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up, will match a familiar group of rivals. The race is complicated, though, by possible rain in the Houston area both Friday and Saturday.

Six members of the 10-horse field met in a no-conditions statebred allowance race Jan. 21 that was moved from turf to dirt. Bonjour Baby, who will be making his first start since that race for trainer Larry Stroope, set or forced the pace and proved best by 3 1/4 lengths.

Five runners from the Jan. 21 race met again in the Sam Houston Turf Stakes on Feb. 11. That race was won by Magna Breeze, who controlled the race on the front end and won by 6 1/4 lengths.

Magna Breeze, claimed by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen for $5,000 on his own behalf at Ellis Park last summer, is the likely favorite in the Richard King. He came back from his Sam Houston Turf victory to win an off-the-turf starter race and, like Bonjour Baby, should be fine if weather forces Saturday’s race to the main track.

A sleeper in the field if the race remains on turf is Can’t Be Wrong, trained by Danny Pish. Can’t Be Wrong, a grass specialist, finished second as the 4-5 favorite to Bonjour Baby on Jan. 21 and then weakened to finish sixth to Magna Breeze in the Sam Houston Turf.

A pace battle could set up his late run. Can’t Be Wrong concluded 2016 with a victory in the Texas Hall of Fame Stakes at Retama Park.

The Yellow Rose, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, has drawn a competitive field of 10. Favoritism could go to My Master Plan or Prada’s Bling, both of whom will be making their debut for a new trainer.

My Master Plan has been transferred from Donnie Von Hemel to Pish after making her two most recent starts against optional-claiming company at Oaklawn Park. Prada’s Bling was claimed for $25,000 by Karl Broberg on Dec. 1 at Delta Downs. She was previously conditioned by Isai Gonzalez.

Another contender is the lightly raced Zippit E, who will be making her first start since July for trainer Bret Calhoun.