Tap Daddy back on turf in Black Gold Stakes

Tap Daddy got his shot on dirt and ran respectably, finishing third behind Mourinho and Combatant, solid 3-year-olds both, in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 15 at Oaklawn Park.

That’s what sharp horsemen like trainer Steve Asmussen do at this time of year – give talented sophomores a shot on dirt. If it works, on they go to the Triple Crown trail. If not, take a different route, and in Tap Daddy’s case, another path already exists.

Tap Daddy won both of his turf starts last year at age 2, and he’ll return to grass Saturday at Fair Ground as the likely favorite in the $50,000 Black Gold Stakes, a race over about one mile for 3-year-olds.

“It looks like the right spot for him,” Asmussen said Thursday. “I do believe he’s better on turf.”

Ten others are entered in the Black Gold (race 8, 4:36 p.m. Central), but Tap Daddy’s main rivals appear to be his stablemate Fascilitator and Ride a Comet, a sharp first-level allowance winner last out while making his turf debut.

Tap Daddy, a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred, debuted on dirt at Saratoga last summer, finishing sixth behind subsequent Hopeful Stakes winner Sporting Chance, and broke through the second time out when more than three lengths best in a Kentucky Downs turf maiden race. He showed quality and determination in finishing third, beaten a head by the victorious Flameaway, in the Bourbon Stakes last fall at Keeneland, a race carded for turf but rained onto a sloppy main track, and ended his 2-year-old season with a comfortable two-turn first-level turf allowance win at Churchill Downs.

Tap Daddy, by Scat Daddy, never has raced on a firm course but is likely to get one Saturday. He drew post 10, farther outside than desirable, and jockey Corey Lanerie is tasked with working out a trip.

Fascilitator, another Winchell-owned colt, makes his stakes, two-turn, and turf debut, but clearly has ample talent if he can cope with the various new circumstances. After taking a pair of tough losses to start his career, Fascilitator has won a Fair Grounds maiden race and an Oaklawn allowance race, both sprints, and looked good doing so. The colt has a turf-leaning pedigree, being by The Factor and out of a Wildcat Heir mare, and distance might be a greater issue than surface.

“Physically, he looks like a sprinter, but he has run races that give you encouragement he can stretch out,” said Asmussen.

Ride a Comet, who resides in the Fair Grounds division of trainer Mark Casse’s expansive operation, needed four starts, all on dirt, to notch his first win, but he appeared to appreciate a switch to turf, making a flashy move off the turn en route to an easy allowance win Jan. 6 at Fair Grounds. Ride a Comet has been pointed to Saturday’s start since days after that last race, and it will be no surprise if he hits his mark.

Statebreds in Dixie Poker Ace

Earlier on the card, Extra Credit figures to be favored to get his third straight win at this meet as one of nine entrants in the $60,000 Dixie Poker Ace, a turf race at about one mile for older Louisiana-breds.

Extra Credit, a Klein Racing homebred trained by Brad Cox, won the Champions Day Turf in December and a January allowance race of comparable quality. Both victories came by less than a length, and Extra Credit lacks the pace to make his own race. And given the popularity of Cox-trained runners with the betting public, Extra Credit is nearly certain to be an underlay Saturday.

There are viable alternatives at better prices, including 10-1 morning-line shot Berniestrike, whose infrequent forays into turf racing have produced performances good enough to win the Dixie Poker Ace.