Tahoe Run's stalking style a good fit in Sun Power Stakes

Tahoe Run has lost two maiden races to begin his career but still can win the $75,000 Sun Power Stakes on Saturday at Hawthorne.

Tahoe Run faced open maidens in his two starts, performing commendably in both, and the class move into statebred-restricted stakes competition here is lateral, at worst. Tahoe Run is listed at 3-1 on the track’s morning line, which would be a fair price in this eight-horse field. Rivzonaroll, one of three entrants trained by Larry Rivelli, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tahoe Run come up favored.

Rivelli on Nov. 12 won the Showtime Deb, the Sun Power’s sister race, with a 7-1 shot named Mom’s Town, and in this six-furlong contest starts Right On Richie and Chi Town Hustler along with Rivzonaroll. A speed horse with a big white face, Rivzonaroll led from start to finish to clear the maiden ranks Oct. 14 at Hawthorne, beating Sun Power entrant Fever Nation by more than five lengths.

Fever Nation ceded considerable experience and, likely, fitness to Rivzonaroll, fading in the final half-furlong after chasing the pacesetter from the inside. Fever Nation can improve while Rivzaonaroll won’t shake loose on the lead Saturday with Lookin for Bala among his rivals.

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A front-running debut winner over 4 1/2 furlongs this past summer at FanDuel, Lookin for Bala set a torrid pace making his second career start Oct. 21 in a Hawthorne allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option. Lookin for Bala was out of gas with a furlong left in that six-furlong race, and while he might not be able to win the Sun Power, he’ll make his pace presence felt.

Whizzing past Lookin for Bala last month and going on to victory was a Minnesota-bred named Hand Pay, and his trainer, Hugh Robertson, sends out Tahoe Run on Saturday. Tahoe Run just raced Nov. 11, bearing down hard on a pacesetting colt named Celebrating Hal, but fell a neck short of victory while finishing nearly seven lengths in front of the show horse.

The relatively short turnaround might be a good thing for Tahoe Run: Robertson over the last five years won with the only two juvenile dirt sprinters who came back 10 days or fewer following their previous start. Expand the DRF Formulator query to 2-year-old dirt sprinters at Hawthorne coming back on 21 days’ rest or less and Robertson is a robust 9-5-2-0.

Tahoe Run, a son of Three Hour Nap, whom Robertson trained and who has proven a surprisingly effective if relatively obscure Illinois stallion, breaks from the rail and already has shown a willingness to stalk and rally. That’s the kind of trip that could play well in the Sun Power – here’s hoping for 3-1.

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