Turf Paradise: Red Zeus back with own kind in Jack Coady Sr. Stakes

PHOENIX – Considering Red Zeus just beat some tough elders on the Turf Paradise grass course Oct. 26 in the Walter R. Cluer, he may be even tougher to handle as he moves in to face 3-year-olds in Saturday’s $35,000 Jack Coady Sr. Stakes at a mile on the turf here.

Red Zeus heads a field of nine in the Coady, which goes as race 4. Also on the card is the $35,000 Chandler Stakes. That mile turf race, which goes as race 7, is for 3-year-old fillies. It drew a field of 10 headed by stakes-proven runners Acarpian, Agent Scully, and Kissmeimdanish.

Red Zeus, owned by Peggy Hopwood and trained by Dan McFarlane, made quite a statement on turf in a division of the Arizona Stallion Stakes here April 6, winning by 16 lengths. He then won the Gene Fleming Breeders Derby for Arizona-breds on dirt here April 27.

He went to Canterbury Downs, where he won 1 of 3 including a win in an optional-claiming dirt sprint and a fourth in the Mystic Lake Derby on turf there Aug. 3.

Red Zeus returned in the Cluer, stalking the pace and winning by a neck at a mile under Kelly Bridges, who remains aboard Saturday. He worked a strong five furlongs here in 59.60 on Nov. 8.

His main rival may be Hard Nine, also trained by McFarlane, who won an allowance race on this course at this trip April 15, then returned from five months off to run fourth in a dirt sprint here Oct. 27. With that race under his belt and a return to turf, he’s dangerous.

Gentle as a Breeze comes off two straight turf wins, the first from off the pace over restricted claimers at Canterbury Downs on Sept. 12 and the second on the front over allowance foes on this course Oct. 21. Hume steps up in class after two straight front-running wins on this course. Serendipity Grove invades from Hastings in British Columbia, where he has won his last five starts, all on dirt. There’s no denying his sharp form, and he is bred to handle turf and has won routing. Sharp Richard invades from Santa Anita, where he was third on turf at this distance against restricted claimers Oct. 14.

Chandler: Acarpian sharp

Acarpian, owned by Darryl Paranica and trained by Robertino Diodoro, may be the one to beat in the Chandler. A daughter of Repent, she won the Scottsdale Handicap on this course at this trip March 16 by a nose over Saturday foe Agent Scully. She comes off a rallying win over allowance foes on this course Nov. 3. Giovanni Franco, her regular pilot, remains aboard.

Agent Scully, also trained by Diodoro, was gone for four months after her loss in the Scottsdale. She ran fourth in a dirt stakes at Assiniboia Downs on July 17 versus males and sixth in a dirt stakes at Northlands Park on Aug. 16.

Kissmeimdanish won twice on Canterbury’s turf course this summer. After a couple months off, she came here and ran fifth in the Queen of the Green at this trip on turf Oct. 26. That came versus elders, so she could be dangerous facing 3-year-old fillies Saturday.