SHAKOPEE, MN – Continued rainfall overnight and throughout the morning have taken the pair of $50,000 turf stakes, the Honor the Hero and Northbound Pride Oaks, off the turf and on to the sloppy main track.
While both morning line favorites, Winning Envelope in the Northbound Pride and Savage Battle in the Honor the Hero, were both scratched, the fields remained remarkably intact.
The Northbound Pride Oaks, for three year old fillies, will now be run a mile on the main track and look for support to move to Support, the filly shipped up by Brad Cox with Orlando Mojica aboard. The daughter of Arch has never missed the board in seven lifetime starts and that includes a trio if starts over an off track including her maiden breaking victory at Indiana Grand in the slop.
Beach Getaway has a pair of third place finishes in stakes at Churchill and Prairie Meadows at 2 and kicked off her 3-year old season with a narrow loss in a $50,000 starter allowance at Keeneland over a sloppy racetrack. She will be stretching out for the first time in the Northbound Pride for David Van Winkle and pilot Jareth Loveberry.
The Mac Robertson entry – and Robertson is always dangerous in the local stakes – Full of Grace comes in off o fourth place finish at Oaklawn in a $75,000 optional claimer. Her only route effort, a mile and a sixteenth, was a tiring one though it was in her seasonal debut. She has been training well for this spot and will likely be in much better ship this time going longer.
Larry Rivelli Chicago steam, O’Keefe, has won 3 of 6 including a front running victory in her seasonal bow at Arlington in a $75,000 optional claimer. She may be the quickest of the field but will have to prove that she can carry her speed more than six furlongs.
Pick: Support
In the five furlong Honor the Hero, defending champion Wings Locked Up returns. The wet going does not appear to bother him as the Clinton Stuart trainee is four for eight over wet tracks and has only missed the board once. He’ll be playing catch me if you can with this group.
Right behind Wings Locked Up last year was Majestic Pride. The seven year old Artie Schiller gelding has win ten of thirty for Mac Robertson will be beginning his 2019 campaign in this spot and is one for two over off tracks.
Robertson has a pair of other entries in the race, Luvin Bullies and Minnesota bred Mister Banjoman. Luvin Bullies has little experience over a wet main track while Mister Banjoman has none. Mister Banjoman, however, is three of six lifetime including a win in last year’s Shakopee Juvenile. The 3-year old beat older horses in his first race of 2019 in a $41,000 allowance going gate to wire and will be challenged to take on Wings Locked Up early.
Another Minnesotan, Fireman Oscar, was third under the wire in last season’s Mystic Lake Turf Express at Canterbury (moved up to 2nd after the later disqualification of Bushrod) but faltered in the Minnesota Sprint next out on the dirt. He’s been prepping for the Canterbury season at Laurel and is one for four over an off surface.
Pick: Wings Locked Up to repeat
