Photo: CDI
Naveed Chowhan’s Seaneen Girl, who captured the Grade II Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs last month, worked a half-mile in 50.60 at Fair Grounds Wednesday morning in early preparation for Fair Grounds’ $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes Jan. 19.
Brereton Jones’ Mark Valeski, winner of Belmont’s Grade II Dwyer last May and runner-up in last season’s $1 million Louisiana Derby (Grade II), accomplished three furlongs in 34.40 on that same work tab.
TEXAS BLING’S SUNDAY SCORE COULD BE A ‘SPRINGBOARD’ TO LOUISIANA DERBY
At odds of 128.80-1, Hall’s Family Trust’s Texas Bling captured Remington’s $300,000 Springboard Mile Sunday on closing day of that Oklahoma oval’s season.
In recent past years, Springboard Mile winners have often been pointed toward Fair Grounds’ three-race series for sophomores that this season begins with the Grade III Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 19, continues with the Grade II Risen Star Stakes Feb. 23 and concludes with the 100th edition of the Grade II Louisiana Derby March 30.
Was the Lecomte Stakes on the likely horizon for Texas Bling?
“That is certainly a possibility,” said trainer Danele Durham, when reached at Oaklawn Park Wednesday morning, “but to be honest, at least for now I feel obligated to Oaklawn.
“But anything is possible. I like to always be open-minded about these things, and I should also say that winning the Louisiana Derby has always been one of my goals. If we don’t make it to New Orleans for the first part of that series, we are definitely looking strongly at the races down the line. The Louisiana Derby is very high on my list of things to do with this horse.”