Synchrony still has fuel to burn for Mervin Muniz Handicap

No horse ran better on the Feb. 17 Risen Star card than Synchrony, a chestnut blur flying through the Fair Grounds homestretch en route to a two-length victory over the highly regarded Mr. Misunderstood in the Fair Grounds Handicap. The eye-catching performance came in Synchrony’s first start in almost nine months, a circumstance that could have both negative and positive implications.

On the one hand, Synchrony, with only 11 starts, could be on the cusp of a very meaningful 5-year-old campaign. On the other, one might fear regression when Synchrony returns to action Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Mervin Muniz Handicap.

But if Synchrony has felt the effects of the career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure the Fair Grounds Handicap produced, trainer Mike Stidham hasn’t seen it. On Sunday, Synchrony breezed a half-mile on dirt in 51.40 seconds.

“Not at all,” Stidham said when asked if his horse was showing any signs of reacting to his big race. “He’s had three really good works. This morning, he just went easy; the track was a little dead. He finished up good, and we’re very pleased with him.”

Synchrony will have to run at least as well in the Muniz as he did in the Fair Grounds Handicap to win again. The Muniz came up with a deep field, including five capable shippers from South Florida.

Meanwhile, the Stidham-trained 3-year-old Supreme Aura will cut back to a sprint from a route for the six-furlong $150,000 Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 12. Supreme Aura won his debut last summer at Delaware Park and his second start, a Fair Grounds sprint allowance race, before finishing last of nine in the Risen Star, his first two-turn try. He has since worked three times, including a half-mile in 49 seconds last Saturday.

“I definitely think the horse wants to sprint,” said Stidham. “I was hoping I was wrong about that, but I wasn’t.”