Pirate’s Punch takes a swing

Pirate’s Punch will be taking on a diverse cast of horses Saturday when he starts as the morning-line favorite in the $100,000 Delta Mile at Delta Downs.

The field of 10 3-year-olds and up includes Mocito Rojo, a past winner of the race; Flash of Mischief, winner of the $250,000 St. Louis Derby in August; and Its a Wrap, whose three-race win streak includes the Evangeline Downs Mile.

“It’s a really interesting race,” said Grant Forster, who trains Pirate’s Punch.

Pirate’s Punch, a Grade 3 winner at a mile who ran 12th in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is making his second start off a layoff. On Oct. 24. he was fourth in a Keeneland allowance won by Thomas Shelby, who was racking up his sixth victory on the year. Pirate’s Punch earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95 while making his first start since July, when he ran fourth in Michael G. Schaefer Memorial at Indiana Grand. Pirate’s Punch will be making his fourth start of the year Saturday.

“We’re just trying to get him back in a groove and get him going,” Forster said. “Obviously, it’s been a bit of a lost year for him. He came out of the Breeders’ Cup with a chip in a knee we had to repair surgically. He popped a quarter crack in the race in Indiana.

“He’s really doing well again now, and we were really pleased with his comeback race against a nice field at Keeneland. He got a good number.”

Forster said earlier this week that Pirate’s Punch had shipped to his winter base of Fair Grounds in New Orleans and would travel from there to Delta. The horse will be making his first start on the six-furlong track in Vinton, La.

“He’s a horse that runs the turns brilliantly,” Forster said, adding Pirate’s Punch has had the opportunity to train on a six-furlong surface at the Trackside Training Center in Kentucky.

Pirate’s Punch will break from post 6 under Alex Birzer.

“It looks like there’s a fair bit of pace,” Forster said of the Delta Mile. “As he’s gotten older, he seems more comfortable coming from off the pace.

He seems in all of his works to be a more relaxed horse.”

Forster hopes the Delta Mile is the start of a strong winter season for Pirate’s Punch.

“Coming in, we’re well meant,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll get to see our boy keep moving forward. He worked great over the weekend.

“Last year, we had high hopes for this year. We’ve never stopped believing in the horse. We hope we’re set up for a real good winter in New Orleans. He’s always done great at the Fair Grounds. They have a really nice series for older horses and we’re hoping he can participate this winter and into the spring.”

Pirate’s Punch races for the partnership of Gulliver Racing, Craig Drager, and Dan Legan.