Larry Jones has pointed Mr. Bowling and Mark Valeski toward the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds
Trainer Larry Jones, proud owner of the 2011 female Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace, is looking busy sorting out his runners. The dilemma is to decide which race to opt for his different runners in the same division, especially when they are the multiple
stakes horses.
Jones saddled the Grade 3 Lecomte victory through the Brereton C. Jones owned, Mr. Bowling, at Fair Grounds race course on 21 January, 2012, at about 1 mile and 70 yards.
In a full field of 13 sophomore runners, Mr. Bowling downed a competitive lineup, defeating Z Dager in second and the fast approaching in Shared Property in third, while the winner wrapped up the distance in 1 minute and 43.49 seconds.
Now the Kentucky bred son of Istan, out of mare Goldilock’s Bear by Irish Tower, Mr. Bowling is to stay at Fair Grounds to participate in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on 25 February, 2012, at about 1 1/16 miles on dirt against 6 other sophomore colts, which
include the second and third place finishers of the Lecomte Stakes, Z Dager and Shared Property.
Mr. Bowling will also face a stable mate, who also shares the same owner, Brereton C. Jones, in the Grade 2 Risen Star, and he is the Kentucky bred 3-year-old colt, Mark Valeski.
The son of Proud Citizen, out of mare Pocho’s Dream Girl by Fortunate Prospect, is exiting a victory in an allowance/optional claimer at about six furlongs at Fair Grounds dirt course on 13 January, 2012.
Larry Jones was expected to send, Mark Valeski, to Oaklawn Park to participate in the Southwest Stakes, which would have counted as his debut stakes race, and also marked as his debut at two turns, but Jones reversed his decision and he will keep Mark Valeski
at Fair Grounds for the Grade 2 Risen Star.
Jockey Rosie Napravnik will be aboard Mark Valeski, and Robby Albarado will retain the mount on Mr. Bowling for the Grade 2 Risen Stakes.
“If I knew that one of those two was way better than the other one, I wouldn’t run them together,” Jones said. “This is one way of determining what we want to do with them later on.”
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