Ed Wright Cattle Co. and Miles Childers’ Bucktown,
an accredited Louisiana-bred sophomore who had the misfortune of facing Brittlyn Stable’s highly-regarded
Beanwah’smachine in his
last three starts, finds an easier spot this weekend and has been pegged
as the tepid 7-2 choice in Saturday’s featured six-furlong allowance
sprint at Fair Grounds.
The
$41,000 allowance-optional claiming event, restricted to accredited
Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds, has attracted a field of nine, only one
of which is entered for the claiming price of $30,000.
In his last trip to the post in Fair Grounds’
$103,000 Louisiana Futurity on New Years Eve, Bucktown was settled behind the early leaders but weakened in the final furlong to finish sixth. Previously,
in the $100,000
Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile at the
New Orleans
oval on Dec. 3, Bucktown made the pace but had no late rally and
weakened to fifth in the stretch run. Before that, however, the Leestown
gelding was second, beaten two lengths by Beanwah’smachine
when they were matched up in first-level allowance company competition.
Trained by
Bernie Flint, Bucktown will be ridden Saturday by jockey
Ramsey Zimmerman.
Capable of providing strong competition for Bucktown is Sam Breaux and Pete and Barbara Horton’s
Cheap Eggs, who has been
installed as the 4-1 second choice in Saturday’s evenly-matched sprint.
By the young Storm Cat sire Osidy, Cheap Eggs broke his maiden by a
length on Dec. 10 at Delta Downs and then returned
at the local oval to finish second by a length in optional claiming
company on Jan. 4 despite a wide trip. Seven-time Fair Grounds jockey
champion
Robby Albarado will be in the irons aboard the
Sam Breaux trainee.
Named to oppose the top two are: Earl and Keith Hernandez’
Social Misfit, John Jacinto; James Perron Racing Stable
Joe’s No Saint, Brian Hernandez Jr.; Glen Warren’s
Hud’s Rebellion, Shaun Bridgmohan; Kara Gael Baggett and Val Murrell’s
Balidor Desol, Corey Lanerie; Samuel Hebert’s
Lighter Fluid, C. J. McMahon; Winchester Place Thoroughbreds and Gary Scherer’s
Two Left Shoes, James Graham; and Todd Dick’s
Wits End, Richard Eramia.
Of
these, Balidor Desol cannot be discounted. After finishing third behind
Beanwah’smachine and Bucktown in their first-level allowance meeting
on Thanksgiving Day, the Patrick Mouton
trainee faced them again in the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile but
was severely compromised after being forced to steady and getting
shuffled back to sixth at the wire.