Calhoun loaded for sprints

Trainer Bret Calhoun will send out a strong collection of sprinters in the Texas Champions Day stakes races Saturday night at Sam Houston. The barn has Supermason and Bravura for the Spirit of Texas, while Zippit E and Archer City will start as leading contenders in the Yellow Rose.

The Spirit of Texas and Yellow Rose are the sprint offerings on a card of four Texas-bred stakes worth $50,000 each. The other divisions are turf routes for older runners, the Richard King and the San Jacinto.

Supermason could go favored over Bravura in the Spirit of Texas, at six furlongs. Supermason will break from post 6 in the seven-horse field, and Lindey Wade has the mount for owner Brad Grady.

“I like him on the outside there,” Calhoun said. “I’m very happy with that.”

The multiple stakes winner Supermason is moving back into the Texas-bred ranks after romping by 7 1/2 lengths in an optional $40,000 claiming sprint Dec. 1 at Remington Park. For the effort, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93. It was his first start in two months – the same amount of time he’s had into the Spirit of Texas.

“He gets his races spaced pretty good. There’s not too many races for him – and maybe that’s a good thing because he seems to run well like that,” Calhoun said. “I’m looking for another good effort this weekend.”

Bravura is making his first start since the $50,000 Premiere on April 20 at Lone Star Park. He finished second, three-quarters of a length behind Supermason, and earned a 96 Beyer, the best last-race number in the Spirit of Texas field.

“He’s coming off a pretty good layoff,” Calhoun said. “I think he’s pretty fit and pretty ready, but I’d feel even better if I had a prep race under our belt.”

Iram Diego has the mount from post 3.

◗ Zippit E, who on Thursday was named the Texas Thoroughbred Association’s champion older female of 2017, will break from the rail in the Yellow Rose, which also covers six furlongs. She is cutting back to one turn off a fourth-place finish in an optional $40,000 claiming race at a mile in October at Indiana Grand.

“We decided to back off of her and freshen her for these races at Sam Houston and Lone Star,” Calhoun said of Texasbred opportunities. “She’s run extremely well off the layoff before. With that in mind, she wasn’t out of training that long. We kept her in the barn, didn’t really lose a lot of fitness. I would prefer a prep race, but I think she’s coming in pretty ready.”

Wade has the mount for owners Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.

Archer City is in post 2. She enters off a second-level allowance win Nov. 20 at Remington Park.

“She’s a pretty nice filly,” Calhoun said. “She has the most recency, so I think she’s going in with a little bit of an edge, having some races at Remington.” Diego has the mount. ◗ The Richard King will be run over 1 1/8 miles, and Moojab Jr and F J Uncle Vic ran first and second at the distance in an off-the-turf allowance Nov. 1 at Retama. F J Uncle Vic is a twotime winner of the Star of Texas on the main track at Sam Houston, but that dirt division of the Texas Champions Day series was discontinued for 2018.

◗ In the San Jacinto, at 1 1/16 miles, the chief players appear to be Special Rockstar, Dagny, and Witt’s Town.