Stately Victor highweight for Connally Cup at Sam Houston

Blue Grass winner Stately Victor will return to racing on turf in Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. He drew post 5 in a field of nine older horses when entries for the mile and an eighth handicap were taken on Wednesday.

Stately Victor was assigned high weight of 120 pounds. Alan Garcia has the mount for trainer Mike Maker.

Stately Victor won his maiden on turf but registered the biggest win of his career on Polytrack last April in the Blue Grass at Keeneland. In his most recent start, he was second by a nose in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou on Polytrack at Turfway on Dec. 19. Stately Victor worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 at Gulfstream Park on Sunday, then shipped to Maker’s division at Fair Grounds.

“He’ll train at Fair Grounds until the day before the race and ship over,” Maker said Wednesday.

The Connally is the richest race of the Sam Houston meet. It will go as the eighth on a 10-race card, and has a scheduled post of 10:02 p.m. Central. The forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy skies and a high of 67 degrees. The low is 51.

The complete Connally field from the rail with riders and weights is Southern Anthem (114), James Graham; And Music Came (112), Carlos Lozada; Schramsberg (114), Chris Landeros; Deputiformer (111), Bobby Walker Jr.; Stately Victor; Stachys (114), Eddie Martin Jr.; Fifteen Love (114), Junior Chacaltana; Barrier Reef (115), Paul Nolan; and Spinning Touch (110); Freddy Fong Jr.

Fifteen Love and recent private purchase Barrier Reef are coupled for owner Jose Espinoza and trainer Jerenesto Torrez.

Schramsberg will race with blinkers off Saturday.