Stall, Yockey's Warrior go for second helping in Thanksgiving Handicap

New Orleans native son Al Stall Jr. won the Thanksgiving Handicap for the first time in 2016, and he can win it for the second time Thursday.

The $75,000 Thanksgiving isn’t a major race on the national scene, but for much of modern Fair Grounds history the race anchored the traditional opening-day card, and for a New Orleans-born trainer like Stall it carries significance beyond the raw purse.

Yockey’s Warrior was Stall’s winner last year, and he makes his second start back from an extended layoff as the 121-pound highweight Thursday. Yockey’s Warrior appears to be in good form, and the Stall barn certainly is, having won four of the 10 races on Saturday’s meet opener.

Yockey’s Warrior is one of seven entrants in the six-furlong dirt dash, race 9 of 10 on a program with an early first post of 11 a.m. Central. Post time for the Thanksgiving is set for 3:05.

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KEY CONTENDERS

Yockey’s Warrior, by Warrior’s Reward

Last 3 Beyers: 90-71-94

◗ Ran the best race of his career a year ago winning the Thanksgiving with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure, but after a hard-fought allowance win at Oaklawn in February and a dud at Keeneland in April, Yockey’s Warrior didn’t race for more than six months.

“Nothing was really wrong with him,” Stall said of the layoff. “We just sweetened up his throat a little bit.”

◗ Yockey’s Warrior won a Keeneland allowance race before his 2016 Thanksgiving win and won a Keeneland allowance race by almost two lengths in his Oct. 22 comeback run.

“Last year, it was his third race off a layoff, and this is his second race, but the first race last year was a turf race at Kentucky Downs where he didn’t do anything,” Stall said. “Everything looks good. We’re excited about running.”

Mesoma, by Flatter

Last 3 Beyers: 94-83-90

◗ A 6-year-old with only 16 starts, he was claimed for $50,000 by owner-trainer Wes Hawley in June and has been put on ice since a career-best showing winning a Sept. 24 Churchill Downs allowance.

“My horse has always worked good, but he worked unbelievable this morning,” Hawley said Thursday following Mesoma’s bullet half-mile drill in 47.20 seconds. “He galloped out strong and didn’t blow out a match. He’s fit coming off a big, powerful win going 6 1/2. I like my chances.”

Chublicious, by Hey Chub

Last 3 Beyers: 99-78-91

◗ This is his first start since being purchased on the East Coast by the Brittlyn Stables and turned over to trainer Ron Faucheux. These are the same circumstances under which Gantry won the 2011 Thanksgiving Handicap.

◗ Previously trained by Jorge Navarro (32 percent wins in 2017), Chublicious ran one of his best races winning the Grade 3 De Francis Dash on Sept. 14 at Laurel.

“I got him a couple weeks after that,” Faucheux said. “We’ve kind of taken our time with him and trained him right into this. He’s not a great work horse, but he’s been blossoming the last couple weeks. It’ll be tough for him to repeat his last race, but if he gets close he should be right there.”