Sunlit Song and Redatory leave friendship in the barn for Houston Turf Stakes

Redatory and Sunlit Song have made for one of the best Texas-bred rivalries in recent times, and the horses will go at it again Saturday night in the $75,000 Houston Turf Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park.

The race is one of five stakes on the $375,000 Texas Champions Day Preview card. The program should produce starters for the $700,000 Texas Champions Day program on March 20. Saturday’s stakes are all restricted, most to horses bred in Texas. The races were to have been run last week, but Sam Houston lost four dates to a winter storm.

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Redatory and Sunlit Song’s rivalry on turf extends beyond the racetrack. The Texas Thoroughbred Association recently named the 6-year-olds co-champion older males of 2020 after they earned the same amount of points on a system that determines titles. Redatory also was named Texas-bred of the Year because he won the tiebreaker – earnings in 2020 – over Sunlit Song.

“That’s a nice horse, Redatory,” said Mindy Willis, who trains Sunlit Song. “If we don’t win, we’re glad he does.”

In the Houston Turf, run at a mile and a sixteenth, Sunlit Song could go favored after a win in an open-company allowance Jan. 30 at Sam Houston. Sunlit Song earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87, which is the best last-race turf number in the nine-horse field Saturday.

“This horse is really good right now,” Willis said. “I don’t know if I can get him any better than he is. We’ve tried to wait and place him in the right spots. He doesn’t need to run a lot. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.”

Redatory exits the same allowance, finishing fifth in what was his first out in 3 1/2 months. He earned a Beyer of 79.

“Red always does that in a prep race – loses an allowance then he comes back for the big race and makes a better effort,” said Allen Dupuy, who trains Redatory. “I hope that’s his same deal this year.”

Last year, Redatory won the Houston Turf Stakes over Sunlit Song on the heels of a fourth-place finish in a January allowance at Sam Houston.

“He’s on a course he likes, he’s doing good, and he’s biting and kicking,” Dupuy said. “I told Mindy my horse is jumping around in the morning, looking for Sunlit Song.”

Redatory also won last year’s Richard King at Sam Houston, defeating Sunlit Song by a head. Sunlit Song came back one start later and captured the Assault at Lone Star Park by a neck over Redatory.

Willis and Dupuy said it’s been a friendly rivalry as they have known each other since the days of the now-shuttered Trinity Meadows in the 1990s. Willis lamented that her stable star and Dupuy’s landed in the same division.

“But it has to be my friend?” she said.

“I’m competitive. As soon as we step on the track, you’re not my friend anymore. It’s have a safe trip and every man for himself!”

Sunlit Song will break from post 5 under Lindey Wade, who has the mount on the son of My Golden Song for owner-breeders Carolyn Barnett and Becky Harding.

“Lindey’s got him doing whatever he wants to do,” Willis said. “If there’s a lot of speed, he can settle off the pace. If there’s no speed, he can go. He’s pretty versatile. And Lindey knows him like the back of his hand.”

Redatory will start from post 9 under Reylu Gutierrez. The horse by Oratory races for his breeder, James Wessel.

“He usually lays close,” Dupuy said. “We’ve just got to see how the pace goes.

“May the best horse win.”

Gold Pilot starts season

Gold Pilot, the TTA’s champion 3-year-old of 2020, launches his season in the $75,000 H-Town for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs.

The seven-furlong race is led by Kenai Bob, a recent allowance winner cross-entered in the Houston Turf Stakes, and Direct Dial, a past Texas-bred of the Year.

Gold Pilot is 2 for 2 at Sam Houston, where last year he won the Jim’s Orbit. The horse has been working sharply for his first start since August. Gold Pilot was given a freshening, said trainer Bret Calhoun.

“He’s doing great,” Calhoun said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get a prep race. I would have loved to get a prep race coming in here going seven-eighths. When it became apparent we would not get a prep race, we trained him aggressively to be competitive. There’s nothing like a race, and seven-eighths is a tough distance. He’s as good as we can get him without a race.”

Ry Eikleberry has the mount for Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.

The field includes Bubba Bling, a half-brother to Redatory trained by Dupuy.

◗ Star of the North will attempt to win her fourth straight race in the $75,000 Two Altazano division of the Texas Stallion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs. The counterpart for 3-year-old males is the $75,000 Jim’s Orbit.

◗ Ima Discreet Lady, the TTA’s champion older female of 2020, goes in the $75,000 Miss Bluebonnet.