Telekinesis can step forward in allowance

The third race on Friday at Fair Grounds will go a long way toward determining whether the connections of the 3-year-old colt Telekinesis will point for classic races in America or Canada.

A win or a strong showing could get Telekinesis onto the Triple Crown trail. Something less satisfying, and trainer Mark Casse and owner Stonestreet Stables could turn their attention to the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine.

Telekinesis is by Ghostzapper and out of the Street Cry mare Intentional Cry, and he looked good enough as a weanling in 2015 that Stonestreet paid $470,000 for him. Casse was an underbidder for a different client, and said he quickly asked the Stonestreet camp if he might have a shot at training the colt. Wish granted, but things generally have not gone smoothly for Telekinesis.

Casse said the colt looked like he might be their top 2-year-old prospect last summer, but a physical issue in early autumn took him out of training for a couple of months. Telekinesis was all set to debut in January at Fair Grounds, but acted up in the paddock just before his intended start. Though he did not injure himself, he flipped while being saddled, triggering an automatic scratch per track policy.

No such issues befell Telekinesis on Feb. 9, when he showed what the fuss was about when he won his first start, a six-furlong sprint over solid competition, by more than three lengths. The Beyer Speed Figure came back a flashy 90, but now the question became where and when Telekinesis would run back. His connections wanted a two-turn allowance race, but didn’t want to ship to find one or wait for the next 3-year-old-restricted race to come up at Fair Grounds. Thus, Telekinesis, who won’t actually turn 3 until April, will face older horses on Friday. He carries 116 pounds – including jockey Florent Geroux – getting from three to seven pounds from his elders in the 1 1/16-mile race.

“The timing is good,” Casse said. “He needs to get some racing.”

The race isn’t packed with pushovers. Silver Dust makes his second start following a long break, and might have disliked a wet track in his last-out comeback run. He showed enough a year ago at age 3 that his connections ran him through the Oaklawn Park 3-year-old stakes series, including a start in the Arkansas Derby. Run Tappy finished a solid second in a race like this on Feb. 10, and Spikes Shirl, who ran creditably when last seen Dec. 30, makes his third start back from a long layoff.

But while Telekinesis lacks experience and will likely be overplayed by the betting public, he might be good – really good. We’ll know more Friday afternoon.