Z Rockstar tries to stay perfect at Will Rogers in Cherokee Nation Classic Cup

Z Rockstar will attempt to improve his Will Rogers Downs record to 4 for 4 on Tuesday in the $55,000 Cherokee Nation Classic Cup. The mile-and-70-yard race for Oklahoma-breds closes out the meet at the Tulsa-area track.

Z Rockstar has registered three of his five career stakes wins at Will Rogers, among them last year’s Classic Cup. He is part of a nine-horse field of 3-year-olds and up Tuesday and will be facing fellow stakes winners My Brother Don, Johnny Whip, Polka Joke, and Lingerlonger.

Adding further depth to the Classic Cup are Perfect to Please, who enters off a powerful local win, and Fatal Sting, an up and comer who goes for Roger Engel and Bryan McNeil, the respective leading trainer and jockey at Will Rogers.

Cherokee Nation Classic Cup, race 10

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KEY CONTENDERS

Z Rockstar (Last 3 Beyers: 78-83-91)

A winner of his three Will Rogers starts, he captured the $55,000 TRAO Classic Sprint at the track in his most recent out April 28. Since the race, Z Rockstar has fired a near-bullet work at Prairie Meadows, going a half-mile in 47.60 seconds May 12.

Z Rockstar is moving back to two turns and in addition to winning this race a year ago was a winner at a mile back in September at Remington Park. On the stretch-out, Z Rockstar looks like a threat to wire the field Tuesday.

Luis Quinonez is in to ride Z Rockstar, a 6-year-old son of Rockport Harbor who races for his breeder, Robert Zoellner, and his trained by Donnie Von Hemel.

Fatal Sting (Last 3 Beyers: 74-70-71)

An allowance winner in his most recent start, he lifted his career record to 5 for 9. He will be making his stakes debut Tuesday.

“He’s stepping up,” Engel said. “We’re taking a little bit of a shot with him but he deserves a chance. He’s won a couple of allowances and this is kind of the next move.”

Fatal Sting, who races for Steve Dupy and Kent Blair, will break from the rail.

“He’s kind of a speed horse,” Engel said. “It depends on how the pace of the race comes up.”

Engel is winning races at a 49 percent clip this meet at Will Rogers, while McNeil has won with 40 percent of his mounts. Both were leading their respective standings through Friday.

There is a 12-race card Tuesday.