Ten Try to Dethrone FG Turf King

Ten turf runners will attempt to take down a true horse for the course in Chocolate Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), who has won his last six starts over the Stall-Wilson turf course, in Saturday's GII Mervin Muniz Memorial H. Starting off his domination of the New Orleans turf races when jockey Florent Geroux took over the controls in an allowance last February, the Wentworth Brochu runner followed suit with a victory in the GIII Fair Grounds H. just two weeks later and last year's Mervin Muniz five weeks after that. The Brad Cox charge suffered his only loss in the past year when shipped to Churchill to test deeper waters in the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic May 2, where he failed to make the lead and finished eighth with Joe Talamo aboard. Subsequently benched, he returned to winning ways back over his home turf with Geroux back in the irons Nov. 27. Chocolate Ride kicked off 2016 with a victory in this venue's GIII Colonel Bradley H. Jan. 16 and successfully defended his title in the Fair Grounds H. last time Feb. 20.

Three Diamonds Farm's Roman Approval (Roman Ruler) finished second to the morning-line favorite in both the Colonel Bradley and Fair Grounds H. Trained by Mike Maker, the dark bay closed out 2015 with an allowance win over the Laurel sod Nov. 1 and a runner-up effort in the Claiming Crown Emerald S. at Gulfstream Dec. 5. He has been knocking at the door of a graded success, finishing just three-quarters of a length behind Chocolate Ride in his last two starts, and Javier Castellano retains the mount Saturday.

Mark Casse has a good chance to upset the favorite with well-related Live Oak Plantation homebred World Approval (Northern Afleet). Winner of the GIII American Derby and GIII Saranac S. last term, the gray was fourth in the GIII Hill Prince S. at Belmont Oct. 3 and returned from a five-month layoff to capture a nine-panel optional claimer on the turf at Gulfstream Mar. 5, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 99.