Synchrony seeks repeat in Fair Grounds Handicap

NEW ORLEANS – Synchrony returned from a nine-month layoff to crush 11 rivals and win the Grade 3, $150,000 Fair Grounds Handicap at odds of 9-2 a year ago.

Saturday, he returns from a much shorter layoff and, unfortunately, at a much shorter price trying to win the race for the second straight year.

Synchrony, the 120-pound highweight, is one of 11 entered in the 1 1/8-mile Fair Grounds Handicap, a prep for the meet’s top turf race, the Muniz Memorial on March 23. Saturday’s start might be a means to an end, but it’s also likely to end with Synchrony running his Fair Grounds grass-course record to four wins from four starts. The Fair Grounds morning-line lists Synchrony at odds of 3-1, but bettors shouldn’t expect to get a price nearly that high.

“I really couldn’t be happier with the way he’s been training,” said Mike Stidham, who trains Synchrony for his breeder, Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stable. “He looks at least as good as he did a year ago.”

It’s true. Synchrony, seen galloping on dirt Thursday morning, looked the picture of health as he strode smoothly through the Fair Grounds homestretch.

Synchrony not only showed a flair on the local turf winning this race and the Muniz early in 2018, he had considerable trouble in his final start last year, the Seabiscuit at Del Mar, that almost certainly cost him victory. The field Saturday is bulky and Synchrony comes from behind, but Great Wide Open, Tiz a Slam, and Big Changes should go at least a fair pace, and Synchrony has the gears to get jockey Joe Bravo out of traffic.

Great Wide Open was an impressive front-running winner of the 1 1/16-mile Buddy Diliberto Memorial here in December, but got caught up in a hot pace last month in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes and faded to third as an odds-on favorite. He’s a shaky proposition to get nine furlongs, while the Bradley winner, First Premio, seems vulnerable to regression following a peak performance while returning from a long break. Trainer Mark Casse initially considered passing Saturday’s race before deciding the better plan was to keep First Premio on a steady pattern.

“I’m still concerned since he ran such a strong race after the layoff,” Casse said. “But if we skip this, then what do we do?”

Combatant probably has the best shot at taking down Synchrony or at least filling out the exacta. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Combatant is 4-0-0-1 on turf but has turned in solid grass runs, and in his most recent start closed to finish third, beaten a half-length, by classy River Boyne in the Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita.

“He’s put in strong work for this and ran the best number of his life last time,” Asmussen said. “A mile and an eighth with the rail down should be good for him.”

◗ Beau Recall will start a short favorite for the $75,000 Al Stall Memorial Stakes, a one-mile turf race carded as race 4. Beau Recall, a Grade 2 winner, closed stoutly to capture the Dec. 22 Blushing K. D. Stakes here in her Fair Grounds debut and first start for trainer Brad Cox. She’ll be tasked Saturday with running down the Bill Mott-trained Florida shipper Mitchell Road, who has three wins and two seconds from five starts and brings ample pace to her stakes debut. Promise of Spring will be scratched form the Stall, with Go Google Yourself and Dreams Are Free also possible defectors if, as seems very likely, the race remains on grass.

◗ Despite winning a comparable turf-sprint stakes last month at Sam Houston, Wings Locked Up could offer value in the $75,000 Colonel Power Stakes, which starts the stakes action as race 2. Seven-year-old Wings Locked Up, a habitual front-runner, was taken slightly off the pace to good effect last out, wearing down pacesetter Latent Revenge to win going away. Latent Revenge will go to the front again Saturday, and Wings Locked Up under leading rider James Graham can get first run on closers like Hogy, Adonis Creed, and Savage Battle.