Remington Park: Clever Trevor first dirt test for Guns Loaded

Guns Loaded and Dunkin Bend bring graded stakes credentials into Friday night’s $100,000 Clever Trevor at Remington Park, a seven-furlong race for 2-year-olds that also drew multiple stakes winner Smack Smack. The depth of the eight-horse field should make the stakes an insightful prep for next month’s $250,000 Springboard Mile.

Guns Loaded invades from Louisiana, where he was scratched from the $200,000 Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs in favor of the Clever Trevor in a plan owners James and Ywachetta Driver and trainer Cody Autrey had been debating before the Jean Lafitte. Guns Loaded on Friday night will be making his first start since Sept. 4, when he finished a close fifth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at 16-1.

“I thought he ran a good race,” Autrey said. “It looked like at the sixteenth pole he had a shot of winning. They all came, and he was beat a length. I wasn’t disappointed in the race.”

The Clever Trevor will be the first dirt start for Guns Loaded, who won his debut in a maiden special weight run over Del Mar’s synthetic track in July and also ran third in its Grade 2 Best Pal prior to the Del Mar Futurity. Guns Loaded has since been prepping for the Clever Trevor at the Evangeline Downs Training Center near Lafayette, La.

“He shipped from California over there,” Autrey said. “He’s training really well. I think he’ll like the dirt.”

Cliff Berry has the mount on Guns Loaded, who will add blinkers for the Clever Trevor.

Dunkin Bend will be seeking his third straight win in a streak that began in a maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 3. Dunkin Bend rolled by 5 3/4 lengths that afternoon, then one start later proved 1 1/4 lengths best in the Grade 3 Sapling at Monmouth.

Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount on Dunkin Bend, a son of Dunkirk who will be making his first start beyond six furlongs. Steve Asmussen trains for Mike Langford.

Smack Smack won the $75,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile and $60,000 Prairie Juvenile Mile earlier this year at Prairie Meadows. Don Von Hemel trains for Dream Walkin Farms.

The field also includes Mister Pollard, winner of the $88,000 Hillsdale at Indiana for trainer Mike Lauer; and Bump Start, a 9 3/4-length debut winner at the same track for trainer Kellyn Gorder.