The Thrill Is On has edge in Rasberry
The Thrill Is On has a notable edge on the accomplished Jet Black Magic heading into Saturday’s $75,000 Elge Rasberry at Louisiana Downs – turf experience.
“She loves the grass,” said Ron Faucheux, who trains The Thrill Is On.
The Elge Rasberry is one of two turf stakes on the card; the other is the $75,000 A.L. “Red” Erwin. Both are sales-restricted stakes for 3-year-olds. The races, along with a 1 1/2-mile optional-claiming starter allowance on the grass, will close out the meet at Louisiana Downs.
Jet Black Magic has made her mark on dirt, winning last year’s Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess in November and that track’s $100,000 Azalea in March.
By contrast, The Thrill Is On has spent the bulk of her career racing on grass. She won her debut in a maiden special weight at a mile on turf last December at Fair Grounds and more recently was fifth in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Soiree at Evangeline Downs. The Thrill Is On will enter the Elge Rasberry off a runner-up finish in an off-the-turf allowance against older company July 28 at Evangeline.
“She ran a good second on the dirt, which is not her preferred surface,” Faucheux said. “The filly is doing really good, and I think she’s going to run well.”
Faucheux noted that The Thrill Is On is a daughter of Half Ours. The stallion gets a strong mark of 18 percent winners from his turf starters. The Thrill Is On is owned by Ten Strike Racing and will be ridden by Richard Eramia.
Jet Black Magic has made just two starts on turf, finishing second in an optional $75,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs in her second career start last September, then running fourth in the Soiree two starts ago at Evangeline. Jet Black Magic will return to running with straight 3-year-olds after a fourth-place finish in an optional $40,000 claiming race Aug. 24 at Indiana Grand.
Southern Argument brings the sharpest form into the Erwin, having won three of his last four starts. He is seeking his first victory on turf, but from two starts on the surface, he’s finished second and third. Southern Argument’s three wins have come at the one-mile distance he will travel Saturday.
The chief threat could be Ganges, who was a 13-length maiden special weight winner in his last start Aug. 27 at Evangeline. Earlier this year, he was third in a maiden special weight on turf at Fair Grounds.
