Pirate's Punch continues to improve heading into Mineshaft Stakes

NEW ORLEANS – Grant Forster is running Pirate’s Punch in the Mineshaft Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and out of curiosity he started poking around in stakes histories to see what sort of horses had won the Mineshaft. In fact, Mineshaft, the horse himself, won this race as a 4-year-old in 2003 when it was called the Whirlaway. Earlier in the Fair Grounds meet, Mineshaft, who’d begun his career in England, won a second-level dirt-route allowance race. Robby Albarado was his jockey.

Now, no one is saying Pirate’s Punch is turning into another Mineshaft, who went on to be a Horse of the Year. But do consider that Pirate’s Punch won a second-level allowance race here Jan. 16, is a 4-year-old, and is ridden by Robby Albarado.

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Mineshaft got a 103 Beyer Speed Figure in his second-level allowance win; Pirate’s Punch got a 101, the co-second highest Beyer here this season and the highest number in a dirt route. Pirate’s Punch went to the front from post 1, set a wicked pace, blew the doors off his rivals around the far turn, and won by 11 1/2 lengths, stopping the timer in 1:43.18 for 1 1/16 miles.

“Obviously, it’s a concern when they run that big off a little break,” said Forster, who was starting Pirate’s Punch for the first time since Nov. 10 at Churchill. “You’re always worried about a bounce, but he came out of that race probably as well as I’ve ever had a horse come out of a race. We’ve looked for an excuse not to run him, but he hasn’t missed a day or an oat. We feel like he’s put on weight.”

Pirate’s Punch is by Harlan’s Holiday out of Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon, and is owned Gulliver Racing, Craig Drager, and Dan Legan. He had two trainers before Forster took over last spring, removing the blinkers Pirate’s Punch had worn in races, and seeing the gelding show a steady arc of improvement.

“I think he’s gotten better the whole time we’ve had him,” Forster said. “I’m hopeful that last race was just the transition to him being a 4-year-old. I still think he can improve on that.”

Pirate’s Punch drew poorly in post 11, widest in a solid field of handicappers led by Silver Dust. The run to the first turn is short and there’s other speed in this race, but the gelding’s connections hope Pirate’s Punch can follow up his sharp right jab last month with a powerhouse overhand right.