Race Day Seeks Second Straight Win

Matthew Schera’s Race Day (Tapit) hopes to follow a gritty victory in Oaklawn’s GIII Razorback H. Mar. 14 with a win in Saturday’s GII Oaklawn H. A two-time winner for trainer Kellyn Gorder and WinStar Farm, the gray brought $285,000 at the Keeneland November sale as part of a strong WinStar horses of racing age draft and was transferred to Todd Pletcher. An 8 1/2-length optional claimer winner at Gulfstream in his debut for his new connections Dec. 21, the 4-year-old ws third by just a half-length as the chalk in that venue’s GIII Fred W. Hooper H. Feb. 7 before fighting off Midnight Hawk (Midnight Lute) to win the Razorback. 

Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred Tapiture (Tapit) looks to get back on track after finishing a non-factor fifth in his seasonal bow in the Razorback. Victorious in both the GIII Matt Winn S. and GII West Virginia Derby last term, the Steve Asmussen pupil finished second to ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic victor Bayern (Offlee Wild) in the GII Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 20. The chestnut closed out his sophomore campaign with a determined runner-up effort behind defending champion Goldencents (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Oct. 31. 

Iron Horse Racing’s hometown hero Street Strategy (Street Sense) makes his second attempt at black-type company for trainer Randy Morse. A 6 1/2-length graduate at second-asking here last January, the lightly- raced gray failed to fire when a well-beaten sixth in last term’s GII Rebel S. six weeks later and was shelved for the season. Returning 10 months later on the one-year anniversary of his maiden win, the 4-year-old romped in a one-mile allowance over this strip Jan. 30 and made it two in a row with a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer victory here Mar. 8. Working well in the interim, Street Strategy drew the outside post in this 10-horse affair, but will be piloted by the rail-skimming Calvin Borel, who can always be counted on to save as much ground as possible.