Turfway Park: Artemus Coalmine shortens up for 96Rock Stakes

In a Jan. 17 allowance at Turfway Park, Artemus Coalmine was beaten by his own desire to be in front early, and by the tactics of an opposing rider who gunned a longshot for the lead. Caught in a duel and setting a blistering pace, Artemus Coalmine not surprisingly tired, but not overly so, holding second, beaten a neck in a one-mile race.

Entered Saturday in the $60,000 96Rock Stakes at Turfway Park, Artemus Coalmine looks better suited for a winning effort. Cut back in distance to 6 1/2 furlongs, he also is drawn outside the other speed runners, giving rider Albin Jimenez more of an opportunity to rate his colt if another horse is hustled hard again early.

A 3-year-old son of Mineshaft, Artemus Coalmine is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who won both the owner and breeder Eclipse Awards for 2013. Mike Maker trains.

Among the seven rivals entered against Artemus Coalmine is another Maker trainee, Harry’s Holiday, a winner of 2 of 4 starts. Most recently, he finished fifth in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 4 after not getting as involved early as usual.

“He was eliminated at the break – that was it,” Maker said.

For a colt who usually stalks the pace, Maker has given the mount to Jeremy Rose, who just shifted his tack from Oaklawn to Turfway.

Bisque is among the most intriguing entrants, a champion Indiana-bred coming off an allowance victory in the slop at Fair Grounds. His owner, Maggi Moss, wanted to run him on turf in the Jan. 25 Van Berg Stakes at Fair Grounds, but the racing office there was unable to fill the race and scrapped it.

“Blindsided,” she said, so she pored over stakes schedules from around the country in search of an alternative race, and the 96Rock best fit the bill.

In preparation for spring racing at Indiana Downs, where he can face statebred opposition, she said, “He was going to Kentucky anyway, to my layup place, so why not stop off at Turfway?”

Of five others in the 96Rock, only Reflector and Forfeit would appear to have a reasonable shot to challenge the favorites.