Proxy works well in blinkers

Mystic Guide’s romping victory Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn definitely was the high point of the week for trainer Mike Stidham’s stable, but Friday morning at Fair Grounds yielded an encouraging result, too.

The day before Mystic Guide blew the doors off the Razorback Handicap, looking like a leading older dirt horse of 2021, Proxy worked a bullet half-mile in 47 seconds. This was Proxy’s first workout since his secondplace finish Feb. 13 in the Risen Star Stakes, and more importantly it was his first work ever wearing blinkers. Stidham said the day after the Risen Star, where Proxy came off the bridle at the half-mile pole before refocusing and racing effectively through the homestretch, that he wanted to try Proxy in blinkers. They went on for the first time Friday and produced the desired effect.

“He sat off another horse and came right up to that horse without shying away or hesitating, where in some of his other works it seemed like he was looking at the other horse,” Stidham said. “It gave me the confidence to make the equipment change for the Louisiana Derby.”

Proxy worked in company with Pallio, a once-started Ontario-bred who Stidham and owner David Ross hope is good enough to get to the Queen’s Plate. Exercise rider Osman Cano, who has been aboard Proxy for morning exercise since he came into the Stidham barn well over a year ago, worked Proxy and “gave a big thumbs up” after the drill, Stidham said.

Godolphin owns both Mystic Guide and Proxy, a son of Tapit and Panty Raid, who won Grade 1s at 1 1/8 miles on dirt (Spinster) and 1 1/4 miles on turf (American Oaks). Pixelate, another Godolphin horse, most recently was a close fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Turf and remains on course for the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial on the Louisiana Derby undercard.

Just Might back to turf

After Just Might popped a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure airing in the off-turf Colonel Power Stakes on Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds, trainer Michelle Lovell toyed with keeping the gelding in dirt races this spring. But since Fair Grounds has an open turf-sprint allowance race for older horses set for March 13, Just Might will be pointed to that race as a prep toward the Shakertown Stakes, an April turf sprint at Keeneland.

Lovell, who co-bred and co-owns Just Might, also has a talented female turf sprinter in Change of Control stabled at Fair Grounds, and there’s an open turf-sprint allowance race for her March 19. The two horses worked a half-mile in company Feb. 28 at Fair Grounds, with Change of Control going in 47.40, Just Might in 47.80.

Turf sprint tops Thursday card

Early week rain in New Orleans is forecast to give way to dry, sunny weather Wednesday and Thursday, so the two allowance races carded for turf on the Thursday program should remain on grass.

Race 9, for older fillies and mares, is a second-level allowance with a $40,000 claiming option set for about one mile. Race 5, restricted to 3-year-old fillies, is a sprint over about 5 1/2 furlongs open to first-level allowance horses or $50,000 claimers.

Among the entrants in the sprint is Inajiffy, who turned in one of the more memorable performances of the Fair Grounds season winning her career debut, a grass sprint, on Jan. 18. Lagging at the rear of the field and seemingly running in place at odds of 31-1, Inajiffy rallied from last of 12, 14 lengths behind the leader turning for home, to win by three-quarters of a length while running like a wild horse up the fence. Her race was more visually impressive than fast, and Inajiffy earned a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.

Inajiffy is by Street Boss, a candidate for the best turfsprint sire in North America, as is Lady Edith, one of her Thursday opponents. Lady Edith, among a handful of horses based at Fair Grounds for trainer Tommy Drury, is scheduled to race on Lasix for the first time. She won her debut over the Ellis Park grass last summer well enough to rate a solid win chance Thursday. Off We Go, from the family of the great Curlin, drops in class from the Rachel Alexandra Stakes.