A Dozen Colts Lineup for 2012 LeComte Stakes
By: Nicolle Neulist, Blinkers Off
Race 11: Lecomte Stakes (GIII), three-year-olds,
one mile and seventy yards on the dirt, post time 5:00pm CST
This year marks the 73rd running of the Lecomte
Stakes, a race that has held Grade III designation since 2003, and been run at
distances varying from a mile to a mile and an eighth.
Lecomte, by Boston
out of the mare Reel, is best known as the only horse to hand Lexington a
defeat. On April 8, 1854, Lecomte beat Lexington in two straight
four-mile heats, with his setting a new four-mile record of 7 minutes, 26
seconds. Lecomte is also a half-brother of another horse whose name lives on as
the namesake of a three-year-old stakes race: his dam Reel also produced
Prioress, by Sovereign. Racing from ages two through seven, Prioress was
the first American-bred and American-owned horse to win in England, and still
has a sophomore fillies' sprint stakes run in her honor at Saratoga.
Though no winner of the Lecomte has gone on to win
the Kentucky Derby, 2013 hero Oxbow would go on to win the Preakness.
Several other Lecomte victors have gone on to Classic placings: No Le Hace
(1972) finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, Linkage
(1982) finished second in the Preakness, and Hard Spun (2007) finished second
in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness.
This year's edition of the Lecomte Stakes drew a
full field of twelve to vie for a share of $200,000 – and Kentucky Derby points
(10-4-2-1) for the top four finishers. The morning line anticipates that
this will be a wide-open betting race, with five of the twelve runners sitting
between 9/2 and 6/1 on the line. This space agrees that the Lecomte is
wide open -- and with that the case, we will go for a price.
Trainer Steve Asmussen sends out three of the
twelve runners in the Lecomte, all uncoupled. "A" entry Untrapped
is the morning line favorite, and we will circle back to him later.
"C" entry Tip Tap Tapizar looks a bit overmatched here.
However, "B" entry Totality looks primed to take a step forward from a second-place
effort in the Remington Springboard Mile last out. There, loose leader
Cool Arrow gave him nothing to run at, and he still rallied well to come in
second. Here, Totality should have more of a target, with Phat Man, Tip
Tap Tapizar, Running Mate, and Takeoff all showing some early speed.
Barring a speed bias, Totality should be well suited to improve. He also
gets a return to rider David Flores in the irons. Flores is striking at a
respectable 15% this Fair Grounds meet, and he booted Totality home to a maiden
victory at Churchill Downs back in October. In a race without a clear
standout, Totality has enough upside to back.
Totality's shorter-priced stablemate Untrapped stretches out to a route for
the first time. He debuted sprinting at Keeneland, finishing second
behind eventual Smarty Jones Stakes winner Uncontested after a tough
start. Untrapped returned the next month at Churchill Downs, drawing off
to win with authority. This will be his first start since that victory,
but he has been working regularly and trainer Steve Asmussen sends horses out
ready off of layoffs. The stretch out to a mile and seventy yards should
be okay; Untrapped is by Trappe Shot out of a Giant's Causeway mare who has
produced a winner at a mile. On pace, Untrapped has proven that he can
stalk the pace, a good thing with a few speed horses in the field. And,
should he get a better start, he may prove the goods, albeit at a relatively
short price in this competitive race.
Saint’s Fan originally occupied the third slot, but Dallas
Stewart has opted to scratch him due to the outside post draw. Instead, Takeoff
intrigues. Takeoff broke his maiden last
out over the same course and distance as the Lecomte. That came on the front end, which may not be
the best way to go here. However, dig
back through his form lines and you see his debut: a close call at Keeneland in
which Takeoff rallied from well off the pace to be beaten less than a
length. That came at a sprint, so Takeoff
still has to prove he's equally versatile going long. But, the connections inspire confidence. Florent Geroux keeps the mount, and he is
firing at 29% over the Fair Grounds meet.
Geroux has also been strong for Mark Casse, with three wins and five
money finishes in eight tries over the last two months. The weather may also play to Takeoff's
advantage. Though he has not run over an
off track yet, his breeding (by Arch out of an Officer mare) suggests he has
upside in the mud.
Selections:
#3 Totality (12/1)
#5 Untrapped (9/2)
#10 Takeoff (6/1)
Longshot: #11 Pat On the Back (12/1) was
well-beaten last out in the Delta Jackpot, but perhaps he did not take to the
love-it-or-hate-it Delta Downs track. He rattled off a nice series of
races against state-bred company in New York, with speeds right in rage of what
he needs to contend in the Lecomte. He also showed good pace versatility:
though he has shown speed, he has also won from off the pace, a style that
ought to serve him better here. Pat On the Back also gets rider Dylan
Davis back from those New York efforts; he did not have Davis's services in
Cajun country. He also adds Lasix for the first time, and has a regular
series of work at Fair Grounds stretching back to mid-December. The
weather also shows a good chance of rain for Saturday. Pat On the Back
romped in the slop two back at Belmont, and more rain here would help him
factor at a price.
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