Synthetic stays put after big win

Despite some reportedly high-dollar interest, the standout Louisiana-bred filly Synthetic was not sold after an especially eye-catching performance Jan. 31, trainer Bobby Felks reported on Saturday.

Synthetic, a 4-year-old Midshipman filly purchased at a yearling auction for $75,000 by owner Keith Plaisance, has started her career with four wins by about 25 combined lengths. After whipping Louisiana-bred competition in her first three outings, she stepped into an open first-level allowance last month, won by 9 1/2 lengths, and ran six furlongs in 1:08.65, good for a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

A couple days later, Felks said that he thought Plaisance had more interest in racing than selling his horse, and for now that has held true. Synthetic on Saturday worked for the first time since her sterling performance, breezing a half-mile in 49.20 seconds at Fair Grounds, and she races next on March 22 in the Ova Charged, a Louisiana-bred turf sprint.

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Felks has never started a horse outside Louisiana and said that if Synthetic goes north to Kentucky this spring, it will be with a different trainer.

At Fair Grounds, Felks has proven nearly unbeatable. Over the weekend, he sent out another Louisiana-bred, Plaisance-owned win machine, Nine Part, to his fifth win from six career starts. Nine Part on Saturday aced his turf debut, which came in a fourth-level Louisiana allowance, rallying to a 2 1/4-length score.

The four horses Felks has run at this meet have produced a 9-7-1-1 record, and over the last two Fair Grounds seasons, Felks has gone 25-14-3-2.

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