Southern Tour returns to dirt in New Braunfels

Southern Tour is one of three fast shippers headed to Retama Park on Saturday night for the $35,000 New Braunfels Stakes. A six-furlong race for fillies and mares, the field also includes invaders Miss Photogenic and True Rose, and locals Coastalota and Piniante.

Southern Tour ships in from Louisiana Downs, and returns to her best surface, the dirt, after making a rare start on turf her last time out. Ted Gondron has the mount on Southern Tour, a front-runner, for Bellamy Stable and trainer Cole Norman.

Miss Photogenic is another who likes to race with the pace. She has won two of her last three starts, all at Louisiana Downs, and will break closer to the rail than any of her other speed rivals Saturday. Terry Stanton has the mount for trainer Brent Davidson.

Coastalota, who can stalk the pace, might benefit from all of the speed in the New Braunfels. She was second in a six-furlong allowance at Retama in her last start, playing runner-up to wire to wire winner Piniante. Larry Taylor has the mount on Coastalota for trainer Randy Mayfield.

True Rose is another who would benefit from a duel given her late-running ways. She has turned in consecutive bullet works in preparation for the New Braunfels for trainer Steve Asmussen.

The nine-horse field also includes the quick Spiked Punch and S'more Smoke, who was third last out to Piniante.