Scherer opens the winter flood gates

It’s not like trainer Gary Scherer is running the whole barn this week. Though, to be fair, he is pouring out basically all the cream in his winter crop in a matter of four days.

On Thursday, Scherer won the $50,000 Tom Benson Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds with Remember Daisy. On Friday, he was to run Morning Mischief in the $50,000 Mr. Sulu Stakes at Fair Grounds. On Saturday, Brother Richie is in the $100,000 Louisiana Legacy at Delta. And in the Sunday feature at Fair Grounds, Scherer has the promising Shakopee Town, one of the favorites in the $50,000 Happy Ticket Stakes.

“That’s pretty much all my best horses, all my big Louisiana-breds, right there,” Scherer said Thursday evening.

Remember Daisy, Morning Mischief, and Shakopee Town all are owned (wholly or partially) by Minnesotans Al and Bill Ulwelling, whom Scherer met through his establishment at Canterbury Park. The Ulwellings breed to race and a few years ago started dabbling in the lucrative Louisiana program, an experiment returning good results.

Remember Daisy, the filly that won Thursday, was a dirt stakes winner last winter at Delta, had a one-race summer campaign at Woodbine, and then was put away to await the rich winter season in Louisiana. She romped in a Delta allowance race returning from her long break and held on by a neck over longshot Eskenformore on Thursday after looking like a sure winner a furlong out.

“She’s kind of a hot-blooded filly. She ran up on horses on the first town, but she settled down after that,” said Scherer, who has both turf and dirt options for Remember Daisy on the Louisiana Champions Day card next month.

Shakopee Town, a Jersey Town 3-year-old filly, has at least as much raw talent as Remember Daisy. She was a 14-length Louisiana-bred maiden winner making her second career start last March at Fair Grounds, won the $50,000 Goldfinch on April 26 at Prairie Meadows, and then, like Remember Daisy, was put away for the summer. Shakopee Town returned to racing Oct. 18 at Delta, had a slow start, and needed to shake off rust in a solid second-place finish.

“That track’s a lot deeper, and she got a little tired, probably needed the race,” Scherer said. “She looks a lot bigger and stronger than she did at Prairie Meadows. This race is going to be a nice little test for her.”

Shakopee Town’s main rivals are My Miss Chiff, who won the 2017 Happy Ticket as a 3-year-old, and Ours to Run, who starts for the first time since May 26. The Sunday feature is carded as race 8, post time 3:53 Central.