Revenant One appears vulnerable in Brickyard

Plainfield is the only horse who has beaten Revenant One, and perhaps he can beat him again Wednesday in the Brickyard Stakes.

Revenant One, with four wins from his five career starts, is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Brickyard Stakes, one of four $100,000 Indiana-bred stakes on the program Wednesday at Indiana Grand. The Brickyard, a six-furlong dirt sprint, is the first of them (race 5, post time 3:57 Eastern) and is immediately followed by the City of Anderson, for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs; the Hillsdale, for 2-year-olds at six furlongs; and the Merrillville, for fillies and mares at six furlongs. A 50-cent pick four links the stakes.

Revenant One, based in Kentucky with trainer Mike Tomlinson, makes his stakes debut Wednesday, and while he does not appear to be long on soundness, Revenant One is plenty fast. The 5-year-old gelding by Macho Uno never posted an official workout until September of his 4-year-old season, and his connection, owner Jody Mihalic and trainer Mike Tomlinson, took advantage of the circumstances to run him for a $30,000 maiden-claiming price last fall at Keeneland. Revenant One aired at odds of 9-1 and has not seen a claiming race since.

He won his second start last fall, sat out the winter, and in his April 28 comeback run, his first race in state bred restricted competition, he was upset at odds of 3-10 by Plainfield. Revenant One came back to win a month later by more than eighth lengths and in late June by more than four, but has not started since. Revenant One shows no published works for a month after his last start and has a gap in official drills between Aug. 3 and Aug. 21. He has breezed three times without missing a beat for Wednesday’s start and is favorably drawn on the outside under jockey Ty Kennedy, but bettors might want to think twice about jumping in at a price this short.

Indiana Grand followers might best remember Plainfield for his career debut April 26, 2017, which he won by more than 18 lengths. Plainfield won his second start by a half-length, then proceeded to go downhill during the rest of his 2017 campaign. Trainer John Langmeier, whose Spooky Hollow Farm bred and owns Plainfield, has focused to good effect on sprint racing this season for Plainfield. In April, in his most recent start against strictly Indiana-breds, Plainfield knocked off Revenant One and he since has turned in four solid performances in open allowance races.

If Revenant One spends too long fighting on the lead with Mr. Manning, Plainfield will get first run on the deeper closer Operation Stevie, whose win last out in the William Henry Harrison Stakes came in a race restricted not just to Indiana-breds, but to Indianasired runners.

Merrillville open to upset

The Merrillville for female sprinters is the cashing leg of the all-stakes pick four, and it’s not out of the question the sequence ends with a bang.

Peyton’s Pass won this race a year ago and is the 5-2 morning-line favorite after capturing the Indiana-sired Shelby County Stakes in her most recent start. But while Peyton’s Pass has 7 wins and 6 places from 16 career starts, she does not have a great margin for error on Wednesday, and her front-running style could be compromised by other speed horses in the Merrillville.

Bettors that cast a wider net could be rewarded with a big price. Sweet N Wicked is listed at 20-1 on the morning line and has a better chance than that price. She failed to fire in the 2017 Merrillville and has made three of her last five starts in routes, but her six-furlong performance on May 30 could win this race and she seems to run well in her first sprint race following routes.

Expect Indy is only a 7-2 shot on the line, but her off-the-pace style also fits the likely race shape in the Merrillville, as does that of Cavalleria, who figures to be at least 12-1.

Juvenile stakes hard to read

There’s nothing approaching a standout in either of the 2-year-old stakes, the Hillsdale or the City of Anderson, and both races are open to any of these lightly raced horses who is set to improve.

The Hillsdale, which drew a dozen entrants, has A Little Irradic as the 5-2 morningline favorite, but that’s not an appealing price. A Little Iradic does exit an open first-level allowance in which he finished second, but he faded late to lose by 8 1/2 lengths, and his debut win came over just 4 1/2 furlongs in a race restricted to Indiana-sired starters.

Gio Pantera is the tepid selection since his fourth-start breakthrough win last out came in his first dirt race where he wore blinkers. Cruman Tapote, Havenhill, Squadron Commander, and Ace of Aces all merit consideration.

Half the 10 fillies in the City of Anderson have made zero or one start, making the form tough to read, but the race does appear to have plenty of pace. A hot early and middle tempo could setup I just want a have fun, a once-started maiden who broke slowly from the rail and made a sustained run to finish second racing 5 1/2 furlongs in her debut.