Mountaineer: Homeboykris, Birdrun top strong allowance feature

A pair of horses who won graded stakes early in their careers plus three other runners who combined for four stakes victories during 2013 bring a ton of back class to Monday night’s $37,100 no-conditions allowance feature at Mountaineer Racetrack.

Homeboykris, winner of the Grade 1 Champagne in 2009; Birdrun, winner of the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon in 2011; and Unstoppable U, winner of the $100,000 Maxxam Gold Cup Handicap at Sam Houston Race Park a year ago, headline an exceptional group of eight older horses going a mile.

The 7-year-old Homeboykris is just 1 for 13 over the past two seasons, including three straight losses on Polytrack since he was claimed out of a two-length win for $20,000 in November. His trainer, Joe Woodard, is 7 for 20 (35 percent) with horses he has shipped to Mountaineer switching from synthetic to dirt routes following a break of 31 to 60 days.

Birdrun, formerly trained by Bill Mott, was a combined 0 for 5 in 2012-13 and will be making his first start since beating just one horse in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn last June. His new trainer, Tim Schuh, is 0 for 5 with horses returning from a layoff of more than 180 days in routes.

Unstoppable U lost five straight races following his win in the 1 1/8-mile Maxxam Gold Cup, but just missed by a head last time out going a mile on Polytrack. Trainer Susan Anderson is 0 for 10 with all horses switching from synthetics to dirt routes.

The field also includes Mac the Man, a two-time stakes winner early last season at Turfway Park, and Musicinthehouse, whose 4-for-6 record at Mountaineer includes last fall’s Sophomore Sprint and the five-furlong feature on opening night March 1.

Mac the Man has raced exclusively on Polytrack throughout his 11-race career. After a dull effort to begin his 4-year-old campaign, Mac the Man regained his form by finishing second going a mile last time out. Trainer Jeff Greenhill is 5 for 18 (28 percent) with route runners moving from synthetic to dirt while back in less than 30 days.

Musicinthehouse stretches out nine days after a non-effort sprinting. From a small sampling, trainer Maraia Pinzon is 2 for 8 with horses returning in 14 days or less going from sprints to routes.