Petalino sends out two solid contenders

Kick On, Texas Birdstone, and He's Boy Wonder, who each won a stakes last out, will meet the promising Titranium in Friday night's $150,000 Jean Lafitte for 2-year-olds at Delta Downs.

The one-mile race will share a card with the $100,000 My Trusty Cat for 2-year-old fillies, with the races serving as preps for next month's Grade 3, $750,000 Delta Jackpot and Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Princess.

Kick On is the lone two-turn stakes winner in the Jean Lafitte, and he comes into the race hot. He has won his last three starts, his most recent a six-length romp in the $125,000 MEC Mile at Remington Park on Oct. 19. Before that, Kick On won a maiden special weight and an allowance, both at Remington.

"He's been hard to stop," said Joe Petalino, who trains Kick On for Baccari Racing. "Every race has been better than the race before."

Petalino said Kick On has benefitted from learning to settle more in his races. Ken Tohill has the mount.

Kick On is coupled with Titranium, who was favored in the MEC Mile while making his second career start and his two-turn debut. He pressed the pace before finishing third from the 12-hole. Petalino is looking forward to making another route start with the horse, who drew better in post 6.

"He's trained like a two-turn horse all the time," said Petalino, who has given the mount to Eddie Martin Jr.

Titranium won a six-furlong maiden special weight at Remington in 1:10. He was flattered following that race, when Texas Birdstone, who was fourth, came back in his next start to win the $50,000 Razorback Futurity for Arkansas-breds at Louisiana Downs, with a Beyer of 85.

He's Boy Wonder also won a restricted stakes in his last start, taking a six-furlong division of the $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes at Retama Park on Oct. 4. He is a rapidly improving colt, as the stakes win came one start after a 13-length maiden special weight romp in his third start on Aug. 29.

"The last three races, actually, he woke up quite a bit," said Danny Pish, who trains He's Boy Wonder. "The maiden race was a huge effort, and then the stakes. He's moved forward and done things nicely."

The Jean Lafitte will be the two-turn debut for He's Boy Wonder, and Pish said he is "cautiously optimistic" he will like the trip. He has given the mount to Steve Bourque.

Adding further depth is King Gulch, the winner of the $50,000 Clever Trevor at Remington in September.

* Seacrettina might be tough to handle in the My Trusty Cat, a two-turn race at seven furlongs, if she runs back to the Beyer of 95 that she earned in July when she won the $75,000 Silver Spur Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park.

* The card was also to include two $50,000 route stakes for 3-year-olds and up, but neither race filled, according to John Simon, the racing secretary at Delta.