Parker in right spot for Texas Champions Night

Jockey Deshawn Parker could be sitting on an outstanding Texas Champions Night on Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park when he rides such notable runners as Redatory, Texas Belle, and Gold Pilot.

In fact, he could be aboard five potential favorites on the program of seven stakes that spotlights horses bred in Texas. The stakes are worth $75,000 each versus $50,000 a year ago, and their cumulative total of $525,000 makes Saturday night’s card the second richest program of the meet at Sam Houston.

There were four “prep” stakes for the Texas Champions Night races on Feb. 22 at Sam Houston, and Parker won them all, including a pair of 3-year-old stakes for trainer Bret Calhoun.

“Deshawn is just a smart rider,” Calhoun said. “He seems to get position easy. If you’re in a bad post and you think you’re not going to get position, you look up and he’s in the right spot. He always seems to have them in the right spot.”

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Calhoun added that there’s a reason Parker has won more than 5,000 races.

“He’s talented, a smart rider, and a great guy, too,” he said.

Trainer Allen Dupuy, who is a former jockey, paired Parker with stable star Redatory last out for the $75,000 Houston Turf, and the pair won the Feb. 22 race by more than four lengths, with Redatory earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 82.

“He’s got a lot of patience,” Dupuy said of Parker.

Redatory is one of the main attractions Saturday night. He is looking to win the Richard King for the second year in a row, having captured the 1 1/8-mile turf race last year by a neck. Bonjour Baby, who was second, returns Saturday, and the pair are part of a field of seven.

Redatory tracked the pace in the Houston Turf over 1 1/16 miles before taking the lead and gradually separating himself from the field.

“I thought it set up just right for him, everything worked out,” Dupuy said. “It looked like he was just starting to get cranked up.”

Owned and bred by James Wessel, Redatory has been the star of Dupuy’s stable and a dominant force in the Texas-bred turf division. Last year, in addition to the Richard King, the horse also won the $50,000 Texas Hall of Fame Stakes in September at Retama Park and the $50,000 Assault in July at Lone Star Park.

“He means a lot to me,” Dupuy said. “I trained his mom and his sister, and have always been around him. I don’t own him, but he’s like family. I’ve got a picture of him in my phone from when he was a couple of days old.”

Redatory, a son of Oratory, will break from post 5.

“He has a lot of natural speed, this horse,” Dupuy said. “He just doesn’t mind anybody in front of him. He rates so good.”

Calhoun will be active in both 3-year-old stakes on the card, starting with Gold Pilot in the Groovy at six furlongs. Gold Pilot rallied to win the $75,000 Jim’s Orbit by 2 3/4 lengths at the same distance on Feb. 22 at Sam Houston, popping a career-high Beyer Figure of 87.

“I thought he kind of just woke up a little bit last time in the fact that he got himself in a better position,” Calhoun said. “He had been dropping well back. He was a little more focused, got himself in the race a little better.”

Parker was aboard and again has the mount from post 6 in the field of six Saturday.

“It’s a great post,” Calhoun said. “They’re going to out-step him for a little bit and he’s going to come running late.”

Gold Pilot is a son of My Golden Song who races for Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.

The partnership also owns Dust a Flying, who runs in the Bara Lass. The race is for 3-year-old fillies over six furlongs. She comes into the Bara Lass off a three-quarter-length win in the $75,000 Two Altazano on Feb. 22 at Sam Houston.

“I think the other day was a breakout race for her,” Calhoun said.

Dust a Flying, who won her maiden last out, stalked the pace under Parker. She will break from post 4 in a field that includes Gee She Sparkles, winner of a $100,000 division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity in July at Lone Star Park.

“It will depend on how much speed is in there, but she could run a similar kind of race as last time,” Calhoun said.

◗ Parker has the mount on Kats Second Silver in the Star Of Texas, a mile race for 4-year-olds and up. Kats Second Silver, trained by Karl Broberg, could go favored off the Beyer Figure of 82 he earned last out when third against open company in an optional $20,000 claiming race Feb. 29 at Sam Houston.

◗ Parker and Texas Belle team up for the San Jacinto, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares. The pair comes off a dominant win in the $75,000 Miss Houston on Feb. 22. Texas Belle is trained by Mindy Willis and could go favored Saturday.

◗ Parker’s mount J C’s Nightcap takes on probable favorite Direct Dial in the Spirit of Texas, which is for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. Direct Dial was the Texas-bred of the year in 2018.