Texas Air returns to familiar conditions for Assault Stakes

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Texas Air has taken his game to a new level this year at the age of 7. He became a Grade 3 winner two races ago in the Texas Mile, and on Saturday night he will be returning to both the site and the distance of his greatest victory for the $50,000 Assault Stakes at Lone Star Park.

Texas Air closed with a rush to upset the Texas Mile when last seen racing locally May 1. He was 24-1, and his performance delighted his breeder and owner, Paul Rigali Jr.

“He’s kind of been a different horse since he’s learned to rate and come from behind,” Rigali said. “I was absolutely thrilled. That was my first and only graded stakes. A lot of people don’t win stakes, let alone a graded stakes, and I felt very blessed. My wife and I probably walked 10 feet off the ground for weeks.”

Texas Air could give the Rigalis more reason to float on air Saturday. The horse should go favored in the Assault, when he takes on 10 others in the fixture for Texas-bred 3-year-olds and up. The Assault is part of a Stars of Texas program of four restricted stakes worth a total of $300,000. Other races on the program include the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes led by seven-time stakes winner Lasting Bubbles, and a pair of $100,000 divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity.

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ASSAULT STAKES (RACE 8)

KEY CONTENDERS

Texas Air (Last 3 Beyers: 71-94-93)

◗ Texas Air is returning to Lone Star from New Mexico, where he finished fourth as one of the top choices in the $150,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. He ended up nine lengths behind winner Ol Winedrinker Who and was found to have an excuse following the 1 1/8-mile race run June 13.

“He displaced his soft palate, so he had a surgical procedure when he got back,” Rigali said.

◗ Texas Air has since worked sharply for the Assault, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.20 in his final prep Sunday. The move was the third fastest of 14 at the distance that morning at Lone Star.

◗ Texas Air could get a decent pace setup behind Supermason, Special U F O, The Lone Roo, and Texas Bling in a race shape that would please Rigali.

“So much of his early career he wanted to go and run as hard and fast as he could, hence 11 seconds,” Rigali said of the horse’s number of runner-up finishes. “At Oaklawn, he kind of figured it out, and in the Texas Mile he got the kind of pace he needed for a come-from-behind effort.”

◗ Rigali raised Texas Air on his farm in East Texas. Eddie Milligan Jr. trains the horse and has given the mount to Quincy Hamilton.

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Supermason (Last 3 Beyers: 85-79-91)

◗ He is meeting older rivals for the first time following a 6 1/4-length win in a $75,000 division of the Texas Stallion Stakes at Lone Star. He led throughout to win the May 9 race run over a mile, two starts after a 14-length romp in the seven-furlong division of the Texas Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston.

Texas Bling (Last 3 Beyers: 41-57-67)

◗ He won last year’s Assault over Texas Air and is stretching back out around two turns for the first time since November.

◗ Texas Bling will remove blinkers.

Calhoun eyes seventh TTA Sales Futurity

Trainer Bret Calhoun will be seeking to win the colts and geldings division of the TTA Sales Futurity for the seventh time in his career Saturday, when he sends out the quartet of Cash Bonus, Jet Over, Flying Cat, and Moon Hopper. Calhoun has won the last four runnings of the race set for five furlongs.

◗ Trainer Steve Asmussen has a strong favorite in the fillies division of the TTA Sales Futurity in Fleet Grey, a 5 3/4-length debut winner in a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs. Asmussen has sent out the winners of seven runnings of the fillies division of the TTA Sales Futurity.