Walsh enjoying the ride with emerging talent Zofelle

Trainer Brendan Walsh is in no hurry to send the 4-year-old filly Zofelle back into action, not with all the promise Zofelle has shown since she made her North American debut in October at Keeneland.

Bred in Ireland but campaigned in England during a two-start 2-year-old season in 2018 and through the first half of 2019, Zofelle won a first-level allowance race by two lengths at Keeneland, overcame trouble to win a second-level grass allowance at Fair Grounds, and on Dec. 28 closed strongly over a speed-biased grass course to win the $75,000 Pago Hop by one length. Zofelle got a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for that performance, a career-best number, and managed to run down pacesetting Elle’s Town on a day when turf runners struggled to gain ground. Elle’s Town finished more than three lengths in front of the third-place horse in a deep edition of the Pago Hop, which is restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

“She’s pretty nice and we’re pretty excited about her,” said Walsh, who trains Zofelle for the Heider Family Stables. “Hopefully we can have a good year with her. I don’t think we’d over-race her during the winter. We’ll definitely run her down there [at Fair Grounds] at least one more time.”

Walsh also won the inaugural edition of the Bob Fortus Memorial Stakes with longshot Saracosa, who captured the $75,000 dirt-route race for fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length as a 31-1 shot. Saracosa, a Bernardini filly who was a 3-year-old at the time of the Fortus, was making her stakes debut there and earned a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She was always going to improve with age, and if she improves again, maybe she can be a graded stakes horse,” Walsh said.

Walsh and owner Chad Schumer are considering Saracosa for the Houston Ladies Classic on Jan. 26 at Sam Houston.

Major Fed is one to watch

Major Fed looked like one of the more talented 3-year-old route horses stabled at Fair Grounds this winter when he scored an easy second-start maiden win Jan. 1. Major Fed lost ground on both turns but made a sharp move to reach contention past the three-furlong marker and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory stretching out to two turns after a solid sprint debut late last year at Churchill Downs. Major Fed ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.48 and got a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We think he’s a nice colt,” said Greg Foley, who trains Major Fed for owner-breeder Lloyd Madison Farms. “He rated well, still raced a little green. He came out of the race fine, didn’t take a deep breath. I don’t know what he beat there, but we’re excited about the horse.”

The Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 18 comes too quickly for Major Fed, and Foley said he’s likely to bring the colt back in a first-level allowance race timed to give horses a chance to return in the Feb. 15 Risen Star at Fair Grounds.

Major Fed is by Ghostzapper and out of Bobby’s Babe, by Smart Strike, a mare who has produced a stakes-winning sprinter, May Lily, and a talented long-distance turf horse, Zapperini.

◗ Beautiful Trauma, who won a Dec. 21 first-level dirt allowance race for 2-year-old fillies by 16 lengths and got a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, won’t run back Jan. 18 in the Silverbulletday Stakes, trainer Tom Amoss said Friday.

◗ Silver Dust, last seen finishing a close second in the Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill on Sept. 28, continues to work right along toward a comeback start Jan. 16 in the Louisiana Stakes. His Bret Calhoun-trained stablemate By My Standards, who won the 2019 Louisiana Derby, worked five furlongs in the slop on Jan. 2 and remains on target to make his first start since a 12th-place Kentucky Derby finish sometime in February.

◗ Play Unified is the choice to beat 9-5 morning-line favorite Mr. Al’s Gal in the featured fourth race Sunday. The six-furlong dash is open to female Louisiana-bred allowance horses or $35,000 claimers.