Multiple options for Good Samaritan

This much is certain: Good Samaritan returns to trainer Bill Mott’s stable at Payson Park in Florida for the near term. Beyond that, the horizon is clear for Good Samaritan, who has all sorts of options in coming months after winning his 4-year-old debut Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap.

Good Samaritan rallied from last and won the New Orleans Handicap by more than two lengths going away. His raw time of 1:49.87 for the nine-furlong dirt race produced a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. The Player, the 4-5 favorite, was leading the New Orleans Handicap when he was pulled up on the far turn with a serious injury.

Good Samaritan already is a Grade 2 winner on both turf and dirt. His owners, WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club, want to get him a Grade 1, preferably on dirt, since WinStar is in the stallion business and dirt success commands more attention from the bloodstock industry in North America.

“We were discussing things a little already,” Mott said.

Discussing, but not deciding. Good Samaritan’s connections will see how the horse looks and acts out of his race before plotting a specific course. Grade 1 dirt races are in fairly short supply in coming months: The Metropolitan Handicap over one mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard and the nine-furlong Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs appear the most logical targets.

Mott’s other graded-stakes runner Saturday, Forge, loomed and faded to seventh in the Muniz Handicap. The nine-furlong distance might have stretched him, but Mott said an outside, free-running trip didn’t help matters.

“He needs to be covered up switched off,” Mott said.

Jockey, trainer races still close

This long meeting ends Saturday, and the jockey and trainer titles will be decided during closing week.

Through Sunday, Shaun Bridgmohan had ridden 63 winners, tops for the season, but only four better than Adam Beschizza’s 59 wins and five more than Florent Geroux’s 58.

The trainers race has long been down to Brad Cox and Joe Sharp, but it, too, still is up for grabs. Through Sunday, Cox, who has topped the standings for most of the season, had 69 wins to Sharp’s 66. Cox has a runner in only one race on Friday’s card, Sharp in only two. On Saturday, Cox has starters in two races, but Sharp runs horses in six.