BY BROCK SHERIDAN

A four-and-a-half-length winner of a $50,000 starter allowance, optional claiming last out, Florida-bred Won for Lou will try to repeat that effort in the $100,000 John Shear Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. The Florida-bred colt faces four other 3-year-olds racing about six-and-a-half furlongs on the downhill turf course.

Third on the downhill turf two starts back when facing first level, $80,000 optional claimers on March 8, Won for Lou came from last of seven to win the optional claiming going a mile on the turf at Santa Anita on March 29.

The Doug O’Neill-trained son of Bucchero also looks for cleaner trip than in the $101,000 Baffle Stakes on the downhill turf in January when he was bumped at the start, finishing sixth.

Won for Lou has taken two of nine career starts with two thirds while earning $88,780 for Chester Bishop’s Bishop Racing, Lyle Egan and Anthony Hinkson. He is by Bucchero out of Style Show, by Red Ransom and was bred in Florida by Bishop Racing.

Won for Lou is 10-1 on the morning line and will start from post four with jockey Edwin Maldonado.

 

O’Neill also saddles the 8-5 morning line favorite, Track Tiger, who also exits a victory.

After finishing fourth in the Baffle, the 3-year-old son of Sharp Azteca had one start, defeating the aforementioned optional claiming on the downhill turf on March 8 by two lengths after leading from the start.

A homebred for Calumet Farm, Track Tiger has won two of six lifetime races with one second, earning $94,000.

Emisael Jaramillo has the return riding assignment on Track Tiger from post five.

Rounding out the field for the John Shear are Iriseach (Ire) with jockey Antonio Fresu, Caro Buono (Fr) has Armando Ayuso named to ride and Hector Berrios has the mount on Later Than Planned (Ire).

Return to the April 17 issue of Wire to Wire