Marathon trip should suit Sarrasin in allowance
LEXINGTON, Ky. – British-born Sarrasin has traversed the globe in his racing career. That travel experience should serve him well in the eighth race Wednesday at Keeneland, as he will run on his fourth different U.S. turf course in as many starts in an $83,000 allowance.
Sarrasin, a 7-year-old Monsun horse, is one of the few in the field with a win at the 1 1/2-mile distance of the race, sporting a record of 2-1-0 from three starts at this marathon trip. Sarrasin was a stakes winner and multiple group stakes placed in France, with highlights including a runner-up effort by a neck against the outstanding Erupt in the Group 3 Prix du Lys in 2015. Sarrasin went to the sidelines after that start and returned to the races in Australia, finishing second in a Group 2 race in his first start there and first start off a year and a half layoff. During his time in Australia, he also tangled with the great Winx, and was briefly her stablemate when under the care of trainer Chris Waller.
Sarrasin came to the U.S. in summer 2018, and finished eighth in an optional claimer at Belmont and in the Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga for trainer Richard Freedman. Transferred to trainer Christophe Clement, he finished fourth in his first start this season, an optional-claiming race going 1 1/8 miles on the Tampa Bay turf. Sarrasin gets Joel Rosario in the irons as he stretches out to a more favored trip on Wednesday.
The other two horses in this 12-horse field to win at the 1 1/2-mile distance are Neepawa and Camp Creek, both of whom are winners of the Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Neepawa, who is trained by Mark Casse, won last year’s edition of the Breeders’ and has placed in two other stakes.
Camp Creek, trained by Kevin Attard, won the Breeders’ back in 2016, and has continued to be a distance specialist. He has made six starts going 1 1/2 miles or longer – including a victory in a Woodbine optional-claiming event at 2 1/4 miles last October.
Local Hero will be stretching out in distance after finishing far back in two one-mile optional-claiming races on dirt at Oaklawn. He finished third in the 2017 Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby, both Grade 2 events on dirt at Fair Grounds, and second, beaten a neck in the off-the-turf The Vid Stakes last September at Gulfstream. Local Hero has raced on turf twice, with his best finish a third in an optional claimer at Gulfstream last June. The gelding will be making his first start for owner Michael Hui and trainer Mike Maker after being sold for $50,000 at last week’s Keeneland April sale.
Wednesday’s card at Keeneland also includes a turf-sprint allowance for fillies and mares; a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds on the turf; and a pair of maiden special weights for 2-year-olds.
