New Orleans Handicap short of big names, but not contenders

Yes, they’re coming from coast to coast for the New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds on Saturday. It’s just that “they” are a collection of horses you might or might not have heard of.

Mr. Buff has reeled off four straight wins in New York, but all have come at Aqueduct and we will find out if his act travels. Core Beliefs, a second- or third-tier 3-year-old, ships from California for his 4-year-old debut.

From Florida comes Noble Indy, whom you probably do know. He won the 2018 Louisiana Derby during his last trip to New Orleans – and has lost his four subsequent starts, including his first race as a 4-year-old, by more than 142 lengths combined.

Copper Bullet, the 4-1 second choice on the morning line, has made one start around two bends, finishing second last out in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn. Silver Dust, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, qualifies as the leading older dirt-route horse this winter at Fair Grounds only on the strength of a 2 ¼-length win last month in the Grade 3 Mineshaft, his first stakes tally coming in his 19h start.

:: DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with comments from Jay Privman and Mike Watchmaker

The Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap, contested over 1 1/8 miles, carded as race 10, and starting an all-stakes pick four, looks open enough that even a horse who never has raced on dirt, Bandua, merits respect.

Bandua, listed at 12-1 on the morning line, was cross-entered in the Muniz Memorial on turf, also to be run Saturday, but owner Calumet Farm and trainer Jack Sisterson are giving serious consideration to seeing what Bandua can do on dirt. The Muniz, topped by Bricks and Mortar and Synchrony, appears a considerably stronger race both at the top and from top to bottom, and while Bandua is an overseas import who only has raced on turf, his pedigree (by The Factor out of If Angels Sing, by Seattle Slew) and training over the Fair Grounds main track have hinted dirt is worth a look.

“We haven’t made a decision yet,” Sisterson said earlier this week. “He’s always breezed well on the dirt.”

Bandua came to America last summer from Ireland with a relaxed European attitude toward training, but Sisterson said Bandua has gotten the hang of lead-changes and the general style of racing here. He exits an encouraging second-place finish to Synchrony in the Fair Grounds Handicap and has shown good pace in his subsequent dirt works.

“He seems to be picking up more and more speed,” said Sisterson.

Four-year-old Bandua has proven a relatively quick study, but it’s taken 5-year-old Silver Dust a good while to wrap his brain around racing, and even now it’s still a struggle. Silver Dust, as is his wont, acted up in the gate before the Feb. 19 Mineshaft but ground out a win anyway, probably running the best race of his life.

“You want to buy into him because you know how much talent he’s got, but it’s hard to trust,” said trainer Bret Calhoun.

Silver Dust gets saddled pre-race on the walk and “has pretty much mastered the paddock,” where he once threw pre-race fits, but his gate habits remain a work in progress. Morning schooling goes fine, but “he knows the difference between mornings and afternoons,” Calhoun said.

Copper Bullet races professionally but didn’t race at all between August 2017 and November 2018. He rebounded from an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Malibu late last year with a closing second to Coal Front in the Razorback last month at Oaklawn. The 1 1/16-mile Razorback marked Copper Bullet’s longest race, but the 4-year-old son of More than Ready has long-distance turf blood in his female family.

Noble Indy went over the top following his Louisiana Derby win and probably disliked a wet Gulfstream track when a distant fourth to top-level sprinter X Y Jet on Feb. 13 at Gulfstream Park. Castrated after going to the sidelines last summer, Noble Indy wouldn’t have shipped if trainer Todd Pletcher didn’t expect considerable improvement.

Deep-closing Lone Sailor had no pace in front of him when sixth in the Mineshaft, his 4-year-old debut, but there is more speed entered Saturday, including Mr. Buff, who stole away to an easy lead winning the Jan. 26 Jazil Stakes in his most recent start.

Mo Dont No will be scratched, trainer Tom Amoss told Daily Racing Form on Thursday. Souper Tapit and Krewe Chief complete the field. Those two look overmatched – but in a race with no standouts, maybe no one is.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman