Horse Racing
Tom LaMarra 9y

Royal Son draws rail Spiral

Horse Racing

WinStar Farm's homebred Royal Son, who already has a solid victory on Turfway Park's Polytrack surface, drew the rail and most likely will be favored to capture the $550,000 Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes March 21 at the Kentucky racetrack.

A field of 12 was drawn for the 1-1/8-mile Spiral, but Godolphin Racing's Imperia, at 4-1 on the morning line, already has been scratched. The Spiral, for 3-year-olds, is a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race, with 50 for first, 20 for second, 10 for third, and five for fourth.

The Spiral, with a probable post time of 6:28 p.m. EDT, is the 11th race on a 12-race Saturday program that includes the $150,000 Pure Romance Bourbonette Stakes, a 3-year-old filly event that offers "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" points.

Royal Son, a Kentucky-bred colt by Tiznow, added blinkers for the 1-1/16-mile John Battaglia Memorial Stakes Feb. 28 and was an impressive wire-to-wire winner at 9-1, after heavily favored The Great War bled during the race and finished last. It was the first synthetic surface start for Royal Son, who is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Royal Son, who broke his maiden on a disqualification at Gulfstream Park earlier this year, returned to Florida after the Battaglia Memorial and has been training at Palm Beach Downs. Turfway-based Rodney Prescott, aboard in the Battaglia, has a return call aboard Royal Son from post 1 at 123 pounds, the weight all starters must carry in the Spiral.

There is no standout in the Spiral, which has attracted an interesting collection of colts with dirt, turf, and synthetic surface experience.

The other stakes winners in the field are Arndt, McFetridge, Preiss, Metanovic, and Azacarate's Metaboss, who won the El Camino Real Derby on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields Feb. 14; Conquest Stables' Conquest Typhoon, winner of the Cecil B. Demille Stakes on grass last November at Del Mar; Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables' Dubai Sky, who took the Kitten's Joy Stakes on grass at Gulfstream Jan. 24; and Skychai Racing, Charles Warner, and Sand Dollar Stable's Firespike, who won the Jan. 27 OBS Championship Stakes on the synthetic surface at the Ocala Training Center before a distant fifth-place finish in the Battaglia.

Metaboss, 4-1 on the morning line for trainer Jeff Bonde, arrived at Turfway from Southern California March 18. The Kentucky-bred colt by Street Boss already has two wins at the 1-1/8-mile distance: the El Camino Real and his previous start Jan. 14 in which he broke his maiden on the grass at Santa Anita Park.

Metaboss, who defeated Conquest Typhoon -- he finished third -- in the El Camino Real, is a legitimate closing type in a race that features several colts that like to race on or near the lead. Alex Solis is named to ride again from post 10.

Klavavich Stables and William Lawrence's Wireless Future, a Kentucky-bred colt by Scat Daddy, enters the Spiral off of three consecutive victories at one mile at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, two on the turf and one on dirt. Trained by Tom Amoss and to be ridden by Florent Geroux from post 4, Wireless Future laid close early in his last three races and took over in the lane.

California-based rider Drayden Van Dyke has the call from post 5 on Rigney Racing's Another Lemon Drop, who rallied for second in the 7-1/2-furlong Black Gold Stakes Feb. 28 at Fair Grounds in his last start. The Kentucky-bred colt by Lemon Drop Kid broke his maiden in his second start going 1-1/8 miles on the turf at Keeneland last October.

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