Thanksgiving Classic offers cornucopia of choices
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Thanksgiving, a time to treasure family while tucking into a tableful of familiar comfort food. That tableau could hardly be further removed from the chaotic mess of a race that is this year’s Thanksgiving Classic.
The traditional Thanksgiving feature at Fair Grounds, a six-furlong dirt race for older horses, drew 10 entrants who last started at six different venues.
We have a horse, The Donegal Clan, coming out of the Delta Mile at Delta Downs, and another, Bear River, who ran in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Goodlookinjustice has been posting fast figures while facing Indiana-breds, while Komorebino Omoide last saw action racing 1 1/8 miles around three turns in the $1 million Charles Town Classic.
Baby Yoda, who makes his Fair Grounds debut, is best known for posting a 114 Beyer Speed Figure in September 2021, a number he has never come close to repeating, though he does have a Grade 2 win to his credit.
Surveillance won the Thanksgiving Classic in 2022. Keith Desormeaux, who sends out Bear River, trained him then, but Surveillance since has been claimed four times and recently has looked little like the horse who has put up a 7-6-1-0 Fair Grounds mark.
Wendelssohn, Mondogetsbuckets, a solid second last out in the Bet On Sunshine at Churchill Downs – a career best – and The Wine Steward complete the field.
The Wine Steward, like Surveillance trained by Mike Maker, probably deserves to be favored. While he only beat New York-breds last out in the Hudson Stakes, he did so authoritatively, putting up a 98 Beyer that would win Thursday’s race. The Wine Steward also earned a 98 Beyer earlier this year after Maker cut the horse back from routes to sprints, though The Wine Steward hasn’t raced over a distance as short as six furlongs since summer 2023.
Six furlongs also seems too short for Komorebino Omoide, the “best” horse in the $175,000 Thanksgiving. Fourth in this race a year ago, Komorebino Omoide surely is tuning up for longer contests while making his first start in three months. With a fast enough early and middle pace in front of him, however, he still could get home in time Thursday.
Wendelssohn, though, is the pick to win. A 4-year-old with upside, he began his career on the West Coast before moving into the stable of Midwest-based trainer Chris Hartman. Wendelssohn has gone 6-3-2-1 for Hartman, who has kept the gelding to shorter sprint races. Wendelssohn returned from an eight-month layoff Oct. 18 at Keeneland and checked in a good third after contesting the pace in a no-conditions turf sprint allowance. Considering the layoff and the strong chance Wendelssohn prefers dirt to turf, he stands to take a step forward Thursday, though probably at a considerably shorter price than the listed 8-1.
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