Sir Rick stretches out to his preferred distance

Sir Rick will be moving back to the distance of his most significant career win Monday when he stretches out around two turns for the featured eighth race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The no-conditions allowance for 3-year-olds will be run over 1 1/16 miles, the same distance over which Sir Rick won the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby in February at Sunland Park. He faces six others Monday, including Triple Crown nominees Code Runner and Top Draw, recent Oklahoma-bred stakes winner Caney’s Ghost, and recent allowance winner Icecap.

Lone Star’s feature is designed to produce starters for the $75,000 Grand Prairie Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on June 28.

The stakes is a goal for Sir Rick, but the first order of business comes Monday, said Robertino Diodoro, who trains the horse for Richard L. Davis. Sir Rick is looking to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the $100,000 Bachelor, a six-furlong race he cut back in distance for April 25 at Oaklawn.

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“Obviously, the experiment didn’t work,” Diodoro said. “The horse worked great the other day. I think going back to a mile and a sixteenth – I think he’ll show up and be back on his game.”

Sir Rick has logged three works over the local strip at Lone Star since his last start, among his moves five-eighths in 1:02 on Tuesday. He will break from post 2 under Ramon Vazquez.

“He’ll be very close to the pace,” Diodoro said. “I don’t think he’ll be on the lead. I don’t think he needs to be on the lead.”

Sir Rick was prominent throughout in the Mine That Bird Derby. The race served as the local prep for the Grade 3, $700,000 Sunland Derby, but that stakes, in which Sir Rick was entered, ended up being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sir Rick is a son of Paynter. His trainer-jockey team of Diodoro and Vazquez had a double together last Wednesday at Lone Star. Both rank third in the local standings.

Icecap will get good support off a first-level allowance win at a mile May 22 at Lone Star. He rolled by 5 1/4 lengths, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 78 that he earned is the best last-race number in the field Monday. Jermaine Bridgmohan has the mount from the rail for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Code Runner, who finished eighth in the second division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2 at Oaklawn, is back in the overnight ranks, where he won an allowance March 11. Stewart Elliott has the mount from post 5 for Calumet Farm and Asmussen.