Relentless Dancer brings Beyer advantage to Louisiana Legacy

Relentless Dancer will be armed with a standout Beyer Speed Figure when he makes his first start against winners in Saturday night’s $100,000 Louisiana Legacy at Delta Downs.

The Legacy is for 2-year-olds bred in Louisiana and it has drawn a strong cast of nine, including stakes winners X Clown and Richard Ronald. The race will be run over seven furlongs, which is a two-turn configuration at Delta.

Relentless Dancer earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 82 in his last start Sept. 27 – a number that ranks from 12 to 66 points higher than each of the last dirt numbers put up by his rivals in the Legacy. He earned the Beyer in a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, winning in a dead heat with Silver State. The pair drew off by 9 3/4 lengths, while covering 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.44.

Relentless Dancer added Lasix for the race, the second start of his career. He is moving to two turns for the first time Saturday. The son of Midshipman is a half-brother to Rock N Sake, who was a stakes winner at two turns, and My Kay Sara, who ran third in a past edition of the Legacy at Delta.

Colby Hernandez has the mount on Relentless Dancer from post 8 . Mike Maker trains the horse for Paradise Farms Corp., Terry Raymond, Jana Wagner, and Jeff Gardella.

X Clown returns to the Louisiana-bred ranks after a fast-closing win in the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Prince Aug. 24. He earned a Beyer Figure of 59 in the six-furlong race. Tyler Woodley, who was aboard X Clown, has the mount from post 6 for trainer Jerry Delhomme.

Richard Ronald won the $65,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile in July at Prairie Meadows. He is making his first start against Louisiana-breds and enters off a runner-up finish in the $72,000 Shakopee Juvenile at six furlongs Sept. 14 at Canterbury. He earned a Beyer of 56. Gerard Melancon has the mount from post 5 for trainer Gary Scherer.

Pickens finished second in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile on Aug. 3 at Louisiana Downs and second in the $75,000 Kip Deville on Sept. 29 at Remington. He earned a Beyer of 67 in the six-furlong Kip Deville. Diego Saenz has the mount from post 9 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

– Mary Rampellini

Hawthorne

Blue Sky Kowboy can finish with the best turf horses on the Chicago circuit. It’s the early part of races that cause him problems.

Blue Sky Kowboy breaks from the gate and settles into stride like a ranch hand readying for a siesta. By the time he wakes up – usually around the three-eighths pole – the horse often already has gotten out of the barn – or in this case, made a break for the finish line.

So, as usual, Blue Sky Kowboy appears to have a good chance to swoop to victory Saturday at Hawthorne in the $50,000 Buck’s Boy Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile grass race for Illinois-breds, and, as usual, his flying finish could come too late.

Blue Sky Kowboy drew the rail, has Carlos Marquez Jr. named to ride, and is the 123-pound co-highweight with Christian C. Christian C and Blue Sky Kowboy have taken turns beating each other this year, and several others in this race – Cammack, Memory Bank, and Don’task Don’ttell – have been regulars in the division for at least a couple years. Blue Sky Kowboy nearly won the open Hawthorne Derby over this course two autumns ago, but as so often has been the case, his late run fell just short.

Christian C makes his first start since being purchased by Patricia’s Hope LLC and moved from trainer Wayne Catalano to trainer Larry Rivelli. He’s got a good draw from the outside post and will clearly get the jump on Blue Sky Kowboy but has no experience over the Hawthorne grass course. Cammack won the 2018 Buck’s Boy but is an 8-year-old four races removed from a top-level effort. Devileye, trained like Blue Sky Kowboy by Michele Boyce, finally is entered to make his first start of 2019. He has preferred shorter distances, though he’s as talented as anyone in the race.

– Marcus Hersh

Turf Paradise

Dreamy Gal found Southern California rivals too much to handle in her last two races, but time off and a return to a place she loves make her the one to beat in Saturday’s $25,000 Princess of Palms at Turf Paradise. The six-furlong event for fillies and mares drew a competitive field of 12.

Owned by John Pendergast and trained by Molly Pearson, Dreamy Gal, a 5-year-old mare, rattled off four straight big efforts here this past winter and spring, including two big wins and two seconds. She went to Arizona Downs and ran second in the Prescott Valley May 26 before finishing eighth on turf at Del Mar July 17 and fifth in a tough allowance dirt sprint there Aug. 3.

Foggia, owned by Tim Bankers and trained by Edward Cardenas, is among Dreamy Gal’s main rivals on Saturday. She has done some good work on this track as well. She returns after winning three of her last four at Emerald Downs this past summer. Foggia is joined in the Princess of Palms by stablemate Senoradiablo. She ran respectably in a couple of stakes at Emerald Downs this summer and comes here off a fourth in a $50,000 turf route claimer at Del Mar Aug. 29.

Tiz the Wild Wind posted two easy wins at Arapahoe a few months ago, including a stakes win by 10 3/4 lengths. She was then third in a route stakes there and comes off a fourth in a tough optional-claiming sprint at Del Mar Aug. 22.