With rail out, Kunal's late run can take Randy Romero Memorial Stakes

The rule of thumb says that when a temporary rail is set out in the middle of a turf course, front-runners hold an edge over closers.

The Fair Grounds grass course has thumbed its nose at that rule during the 2019-2020 racing season.

During periods when the rail has been placed more than 10 feet from the “true position,” outside closers have dominated, even in slow-paced races. When the rail has been down – and sometimes even when it’s been set at less than 10 feet – front-runners clinging to the fence have prospered.

The Fair Grounds temporary turf rail was to be moved out to 18 feet for this week’s racing from nine feet last week, and by Saturday we shall see if the meet-long trend holds – provided there is grass racing. A rainy Friday is forecast to fade into a clear, pleasant Saturday, so there’s hope that the Saturday feature, the $60,000 Randy Romero Memorial Overnight Stakes, will be contested on turf.

One might have hoped for a larger field in this one-mile race for 3-year-olds. Only seven were entered, and The Gray Blur will be scratched in favor of a Saturday turf-sprint allowance race if the Romero stays on turf, trainer Chris Davis said.

The composition of this field was hurt by a new race at Sam Houston, the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile for 3-year-olds, which was run Sunday and attracted several Fair Grounds-based horses.

Even with only a handful of entrants the Romero should unfold at a fair enough pace since entrants Perfect Star, Hieronymous, Jack the Umpire, and Richard Ronald all have been front-running types. Perfect Star is drawn along the fence and won’t get the soft lead that helped produced a first-level turf-route allowance win on the Fair Grounds course earlier this winter. Both he and Jack the Umpire are wheeling back only two weeks after taking sound dirt defeats in the Lecomte Stakes.

Hieronymous gamely turned back a midstretch challenge to win a first-level turf-route allowance on Dec. 28 but he, perhaps more so than any Romero entrant, looks like a need-the-lead sort.

Duke of Carthania has the right off-the-pace running style to get a good trip Saturday, but this Mark Casse-trained colt needs to settle down. He was a handful being saddled in the paddock before a Dec. 19 turf-mile maiden win at Fair Grounds and raced rankly into the first turn before finally coming back to his rider.

Which leads to the top pick in the Romero, Kunal, the horse who could make the last, best run Saturday. Kunal makes his first start since being purchased late last year by owner-trainer Louie Roussel, and his third of 12 in the $226,000 Cup and Saucer, a Canadian-bred 1 1/16-mile turf race last fall at Woodbine, points him out as plausible at a fair price. In that race, Kunal broke near the top but immediately was wrestled back off a moderate tempo, with the rider keeping his mount in a steely grip until he had dropped all the way back to 12th. Kunal stuck to the inside, launched a solid rally about five-sixteenths of a mile from the finish, and came home with enough energy to pass all but the top two finishers, both of whom got a major jump on him. Muskoka Gold, the Cup and Saucer winner, returned with a creditable third in the $225,000 Coronation Futurity, a synthetic-surface race in which Kunal looked less comfortable than on turf.

If he’s back on turf Saturday, and the Fair Grounds turf is back to it’s rail-out profile, Kunal can nail them.

◗ Race 9, a 3-year-old sprint allowance with a $50,000 claiming option carded for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, drew a couple interesting main-track-only entrants. Long Weekend was a flashy debut winner at Churchill last summer before getting used in a speed duel and fading to sixth in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, his most recent race. Banks Island’s last-out off-turf Fair Grounds maiden sprint win produced an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Race 7, a maiden special weight sprint, brings out Steely Danza, an encouraging second to the talented colt Digital in his career debut Dec. 28 at Fair Grounds.

Beschizza suspended 15 days

Adam Beschizza, who was leading rider during the 2018-2019 Fair Grounds meet, has been suspended 15 days by the Fair Grounds stewards. The suspension began Thursday.

The suspension resulted from Beschizza’s actions aboard Confederate Yell in the ninth race Jan. 24 at Fair Grounds. Entering the far turn of a two-turn dirt race for $5,000 Louisiana-bred conditioned claimers, Beschizza moved his mount from behind horses in the No. 2 path out to the No. 3 path while not clear of Miss You Jo, who clipped heels and fell, rolling over jockey Jack Gilligan.

Gilligan subsequently was struck in the face when Ohmymy Ohmyyes, a trailing horse, hurdled Miss You Jo. Ohmymy Ohmyyes stayed on his feet – though he was pulled up – and jockey Mitchell Murrill kept his seat, but Shaun Bridgmohan’s mount, Jacobs Flyer, ran into Miss You Jo, sending Bridgmohan flying. Bridgmohan pulled his groin but Gilligan broke his collarbone and suffered several facial fractures. Confederate Yell was disqualified.

The stewards issued their ruling after conducting a Wednesday morning hearing, taking testimony from Beschizza but none of the other riders in the race. The hearing originally was scheduled for Thursday but state steward Roy Wood said it was moved up so that Beschizza’s suspension would begin before he could ride Thursday.

Beschizza has 28 winners this meet, tying him for fourth in the jockey standings.