Yockey's Warrior breezes to Kenner Stakes triumph

NEW ORLEANS – The Duncan F. Kenner Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds was officially a $75,000 race, but for all practical purposes it was an exhibition.

Yockey’s Warrior, the 2-5 favorite, was asked for run at the quarter-pole and before the eighth pole had taken care of business. He was eased under the wire while winning by 2 1/2 lengths, running his Fair Grounds record to four wins and a third from five starts.

“He’s at the seven-eighths pole and he’s cooled out already,” said trainer Al Stall, who also is part of the partnership that owns Yockey’s Warrior.

Yockey’s Warrior broke on top but ceded the lead to Blue Wings, who went his first quarter-mile in 22.60 seconds as Yockey’s Warrior and Miguel Mena settled into to an outside-pressing trip. Blue Wings led to the quarter-pole through a half-mile in 46.37 seconds, but by then Yockey’s Warrior had reached his flank.

Mena asked his mount for speed and Yockey’s Warrior gave it to him, turning in an 11.81-second furlong to the eighth pole to open a lead of several lengths before Mena told his mount his work was done.

“He’s in great form,” Mena said. “The main thing was to keep him out of trouble. He loves his job. He’s so much the best today, the best he’s ever been. He pulled up like it was a workout. I eased on him past the sixteenth pole.”

Yockey’s Warrior stopped the timer in 1:10.43 for six furlongs on a fast track, paying $2.80 to win. Chublicious passed Blue Wings to finish second by three lengths.

Yockey’s Warrior is a 6-year-old horse by Warrior’s Reward out of Silla, by Gone West. This was just his 15th start, and the horse has won eight times. Breathing problems have troubled Yockey’s Warrior, but the latest throat surgery performed on the horse has allowed him to properly get his air.

There are no races the rest of the Fair Grounds meet in the older-horse dirt-sprint division, so Stall will probably look to Oaklawn Park for Yockey’s Warrior’s next race.

“I personally would want to wait for the Count Fleet,” he said. “It’s 90 days, but that’s okay for a sprinter, especially for one like him who knows what he’s doing.”

Mom’s On Strike captures Krantz

Mom’s On Strike ran her winning streak to three and ended Giada Vegas’s at 4, winning the $75,000 Marie Krantz Memorial Stakes by a half-length in one of two turf races Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Three earlier races were taken off grass and the course was called soft for the two stakes, but Mom’s On Strike ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.72, which is not slow at all for the Fair Grounds course.

English import Adam Beschizza earned his second North American stakes victory guiding Mom’s On Strike to victory for trainer Joe Sharp and owners Brad Grady and Carl Moore Management. Mom’s On Strike’s connections had to wait out an objection lodged by Brad Cox, trainer of third-place Inveniam Viam, alleging Mom’s On Strike had fouled Inveniam Viam in upper stretch, but the objection was relatively quickly dismissed.

No doubt, Mom’s On Strike did come out slightly into Inveniam Viam’s path while already racing very wide at the quarter-pole, but she then came back toward the inner rail, engaged Giada Vegas, and narrowly beat her to the wire.

Mom’s On Strike paid $4.80 for winning her first stakes race. The 5-year-old mare, by First Dude out of the War Chant mare Mom’s Deputy, ran her career mark to 4-4-1 from 12 starts.