Speedy Felks runner turns heads, attracts interest
Bloodstock agents far and wide have been telephoning owner Keith Plaisance since Synthetic delivered a wickedly fast dirt sprint performance Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Synthetic, a Louisiana-bred 4-year-old filly by Midshipman, won her career debut June 25 at Evangeline Downs by nine lengths, earning a strong 86 Beyer Speed Figure and so thoroughly dominating her competition that Plaisance and trainer Joseph “Bobby” Felks backed off the filly’s training, Felks said, to save her Louisiana allowance conditions for the Fair Grounds meet.
Synthetic, Felks said, was far from a fully fit filly when she cleared that first allowance condition Nov. 29, and when she defeated second-level statebreds a month later by almost five lengths, Synthetic merely toyed with her competition, in Felks’s view.
Synthetic took no prisoners this past weekend facing open first-level allowance dirt sprinters. Synthetic broke like a rocket, made the lead, went her half-mile in a blistering 44.46 seconds, and despite being geared down the last 50 yards, widened from six lengths up at the stretch call to 9 1/2 at the wire. She posted the race’s fastest final furlong, 12.64 seconds, and her final time, 1:08.65, was one of the fastest six furlongs run the last several years at Fair Grounds.
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For her effort, Synthetic earned a graded stakes-level 98 Beyer Speed Figure. Felks, a native of the Chicago area who runs a small Louisiana stable, has never trained a horse who ran faster.
“We were high on her from the start, but I didn’t expect that,” Felks said.
Felks hasn’t been involved with sales discussions, but Daily Racing Form has learned of at least one offer in the high six figures. Nonetheless, Felks said Monday morning that Plaisance hasn’t decided yet what to do with the filly. If she remains with Felks at Fair Grounds, Synthetic next races March 22 in the $100,000 Costa Rising, a turf sprint for Louisiana-bred fillies.
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