Waupaca's forecast for repeat looks bright

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - In the past month, Waupaca has been entered in two allowances on turf at Lone Star Park. Both times the races were moved to the main track because of wet weather, and he was subsequently scratched.

"We were thinking about sending him to the desert somewhere and see if we can make it rain," quipped Donnie Von Hemel, who trains Waupaca for Wayne Sanders.

Saturday, nothing but blue skies are forecast for Grand Prairie, and that means Waupaca will be out to defend his title in the $40,000 Connecting Terms. He was one of eight entered in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, an overnight stakes open to horses who have not won a stakes in 2006.

last raced on April 8, finishing fourth to Fort Prado in the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Breeders' Cup Turf at Sam Houston Race Park. Von Hemel said that the missed races since then should not have an impact on Waupaca on Saturday.

"It wasn't that big a deal," he said. "He's trained well. He had a real sharp work and an easy work, and we'll be ready if we just get a chance to run."

Waupaca worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds on May 8, then came back and went a half-mile in 49 seconds on May 14. Before the Connally, he won an allowance at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Sam Houston.

Waupaca, the class of the field as a multiple stakes winner of $409,275, will break from post 7.

"He's always somewhere forwardly placed, just depending on how the pace is," said Von Hemel, who has given the mount to Quincy Hamilton.

Waupaca might be able to settle just off of Toratora, who was a wire-to-wire winner of an off-the-turf allowance at Lone Star on May 5. Toratora will break from post 3 under Filemon Rodriguez. Kamal Sheena owns and trains the horse.

Courtly Jazz was third to Toratora in that one-mile race, and it was his first start since February. He should benefit from the bit of added distance he gets Saturday because he is a stakes winner at 1 1/8 miles, having taken the Ralph M. Hinds Invitational Handicap last September at Fairplex.

drew post 8, and Cliff Berry has the mount for trainer Cody Autrey.

Also in the Connecting Terms field are , Kanata Ridge, Agrivating General, Nobodywant-metilnow and Seainsky. The race will go as the 11th on a 12-race card Saturday.