Stall mulls stakes options for Great Minds

Texas Mile winner Great Minds will be shooting for his fourth consecutive victory when he makes his next start, but whether it will come at Lone Star Park or Evangeline Downs is to be determined, trainer Al Stall Jr. said Monday.

Stall said Great Minds is a candidate for the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on May 30 or the $100,000 Evangeline Mile on June 4. The horse won the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile on May 6 at Lone Star and was shipped back to his base at Evangeline.

Stall said the horse’s next race is being discussed with owner Vince Wilfork.

“The Lone Star Park Handicap and the Evangeline Mile are five days apart, and one of those will probably be his next race,” Stall said. “He’s been perfect at a flat mile on the dirt. He’s won three in a row, and the Evangeline Mile is a flat mile on the dirt. The Lone Star race is 1 1/16 miles. It might not be that big of a difference for him.”

Great Minds began his streak in a Delta Downs allowance Feb. 5. He proceeded to win the track’s $75,000 Borgata in March and then put up a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 96 for his half-length win over Shotgun Kowboy in the Texas Mile.

“He’s been such a pleasant surprise the last three races,” Stall said. “He’s run three beautiful races, and that race the other night was against some pretty nice animals. We couldn’t be happier with him.”

Wilfork is a defensive lineman for the Houston Texans who won a pair of Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. Wilfork got into horse ownership in 2009.

“Vince brings a lot of passion to the game,” Stall said. “He loves this game. Absolutely loves it. He’s a well-known sports figure, so he brings a little light from that world, too.”

Wilfork, 34, recently encouraged some of his former teammates to get into ownership and said he would love to see racing recapture some of its glory days.

“I want to bring the sport back to the ‘70s, bridge the gap, bring new fans, new generations to the track,” said Wilfork.

The Texas Mile was the first graded stakes win for Wilfork.