Pan Zareta loses bit of luster with switch to dirt

What’s next? A plague of locusts?

Fair Grounds already had lost the use of its turf course, which sustained damage this fall when it was irrigated using a well that had turned saline; no turf races have been run this meet and none will be carded until late December at the earliest. That means that Saturday’s featured $100,000 Pan Zareta Stakes, originally scheduled for grass, will be contested at 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt.

Now, Fair Grounds has lost the use of any horses stabled at Churchill Downs through this past Tuesday. There’s been an outbreak of equine herpesvirus at Churchill, which on Wednesday locked down its stable area, allowing no horses in or out for an indefinite period, perhaps two weeks if all goes well.

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Trainer Phil Bauer, stabled at Churchill, already had loaded his Fair Grounds string onto vans that had set out for New Orleans when the decision was made to ban ship-outs. One of the horses who made a U-turn back toward Louisville was Minute Waltz, who would have been a key player in the Pan Zareta, which now will go with a field of nine at most.

The Pan Zareta has the feel of many races being run early in the Fair Grounds meet, with horses whose connections clearly had grass racing in mind for their entrants. New Boss, Touch of Class, and Elle’s Town were entered, but all three clearly have demonstrated a decided preference for turf over dirt.

More subtly, that might also be the case with Ouevre, favored at 3-1 on the morning line. Oeuvre has won all four of her dirt starts this year, but her main-track success belies the likelihood Oeuvre is a better horse on turf. The Beyer Speed Figures certainly support that belief, which also is held by the filly’s trainer, Chris Block. Oeuvre’s top performances might eventually come on turf, and while she slots in decently to the Pan Zareta field, she doesn’t merit going postward a meaningfully shorter price than several others.

Onamargaritaday, drawn on the fence, and Ulikeapples, who breaks from the outside, are slightly too slow to win in any case and figure to hook up on a demanding tempo that should give stalkers and closers a fair shot. Ouevre ought to be placed in midpack, behind Portilla and Cashable, win players both, and ahead of one-run closer Perfect Happiness.

It’s a competitive, decent little race – but one that would have been far more interesting on grass.

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