Pole Setter back to route against stakes-seasoned field in Dust Commander
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Recent local form meets plenty of back class in a salty field for the $100,000 Dust Commander Stakes, for older horses going 1 1/16 miles, on Saturday night at Turfway Park. The field of eight includes Pole Setter and Spectacular Gem, both back on short rest; Beatbox, who has won three straight races; and graded stakes winners Enforceable, Fancy Liquor, and Mr Dumas.
Stakes winners Pole Setter and Spectacular Gem were second and fourth, respectively, in the $99,800 Forego Stakes last weekend at Turfway, which was won by reigning Kentucky Cup Classic winner Visitant. Pole Setter, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, was coming into the rescheduled Forego – pushed back from Feb. 5 by an ice storm – off back-to-back starter-allowance wins at Turfway for owner and trainer Hugo Andrade. Those wins, scored in front-running fashion, were at a mile and 1 1/4 miles, respectively. The Forego was 6 1/2 furlongs.
Pole Setter, likely the most committed front-runner in the race, drew post 6 under Thiago Canuto as he gets back to a distance in his preferred range.
Beatbox, who would prefer to stalk the pace or close, landed in post 2 for trainer Bill Morey, who swept last Saturday’s Turfway stakes doubleheader. The colt won his maiden in his fourth career start last fall at the Meadowlands for Chad Brown. He was subsequently transferred to Morey, for whom he has won consecutive conditioned allowance races at a mile at Turfway. The most recent victory, by six lengths on Jan. 16, earned him a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
Of the three graded stakes winners in the field, Enforceable has the most recent form at that level with a placing last season, although on dirt. His biggest win came in the Grade 3 Lecomte in January 2020, and his most recent placing at the level came when third, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic in March 2021.
Fancy Liquor is graded-placed at Turfway, but on the track’s former Polytrack surface, while Mr Dumas has recent stakes form on the track’s current Tapeta.
Fancy Liquor was third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Stakes in March 2020 at Turfway in just his second career start. He went on to score his biggest win in the Grade 2 American Turf that September at Churchill Downs.
Mr Dumas won the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf in 2019 at Churchill Downs. His most recent graded form came when second in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch in the summer of 2020 at Saratoga. In his last start, he was second in the Prairie Bayou Stakes on Dec. 18 at Turfway.