Turfway Park: Bourbonette Oaks a tough puzzle to solve
FLORENCE, Ky. – As competitive as the Spiral Stakes appears to be Saturday at Turfway Park, the Bourbonette Oaks might be even deeper.
A full field of 12 3-year-old fillies carries a nearly inscrutable look, with no clear-cut favorite and all kinds of unknowns. Half the field is entered off a win, while most of the others bring similarly good form to the Grade 3, $125,000 race.
“It looks like a wide-open race to me,” said Grant Forster, who will send out Katie’s Eyes as one of the fringe contenders in the one-mile Polytrack race. “We’ve kind of felt all along that our filly was going to be better on synthetic or grass, even as well as she’s run on dirt. We’re like everybody else in here, taking our shot and seeing where we are.”
Katie’s Eyes will be ridden by Corey Lanerie when she breaks from the far-outside post. To pull the upset, she will have to outrun a number of fine-looking prospects, including La Mejor Fiesta, making her 2014 debut following a December stakes win for Wesley Ward; Sloane Square, untested while remaining unbeaten in two career starts for Todd Pletcher; and Super Sky, who has raced exclusively on turf except for a run-off score over Polytrack last fall at Keeneland for Pletcher.
Also, Aurelia’s Belle, exiting three rugged graded stakes at Gulfstream Park for Wayne Catalano; Swiss Lake Yodeler, a stakes-winning filly from the Jerry Hollendorfer barn; Shanon Nicole, most recently third behind Untapable in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds; and the capable Mark Casse duo of Cheerful Contender and Zensational Bunny are entered.
The Bourbonette directly precedes the Spiral Stakes as the 10th of 12 races, with post time set for 5:42 p.m. Eastern. The purse includes $25,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. All 12 fillies except the California-bred Swiss Lake Yodeler are eligible for the bonus.
Hansen starter handicap
Kendall Hansen stands a decent chance to present the winner’s trophy to himself after the $50,000 Hansen, a 6 1/2-furlong starter handicap, is run as race 9 (post 5:06), although, coincidentally, his trainer, Mike Maker, might prevent that from happening.
Hansen, the northern Kentucky pain-management doctor who is sponsoring the new race, will be represented by Gunderson, a younger half-brother to Hansen, the retired 2-year-old champion of 2011. Maker not only has Gunderson in this race but two others in a field of eight – Animal Style and the deserving favorite, Ghost Is Clear, who will be ridden by John Velazquez.
◗ Unlike programs dominated by low-level claiming races at Turfway this winter, the balance of an excellent Spiral undercard includes three allowances and four maiden special weight events.