Arthur B. Hancock’s homebred WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) took the lead
soon after the start and never gave it up, topping a strong field in taking the $100,000
Mineshaft H. (G3) at Fair Grounds on Saturday. Trained by Nick Zito and piloted
by Larry Melancon, the lightly raced four-year-old set honest splits of :23 1/5,
:46 1/5 and 1:10 4/5 for the initial six furlongs, was challenged at the head of
the stretch and looked passed, but found more, finishing off 1 1/16 miles in
1:43 on the fast track. Sent off at 5-1, Wanderin Boy gave back $12.40, $5 and $3.80 at 5-1.
Pollard’s Vision (Carson City) was in range throughout the race but had to
settle for second prize in a game runner-up effort. The 3-2 favorite paid
$3.20 and $2.60 while completing the $34.60 exacta. Alumni Hall (A.P. Indy) was
closing hard in between horses late, but could not catch the top pair. The show
was worth $3.60, while the trifecta paid $154.20 with the 5-1 shot on the
bottom. Gigawatt (Wild Again) stayed on for fourth to round out the $373.20
superfecta at 7-2.
Formal Attire (Formal Gold) was next and followed by Skipaslew (Skip
Away), Golden Glen (Forestry), Colonial Colony (Pleasant Colony) and Fiber Optic
(Caller I. D.). Britt’s Jules (Jules) was withdrawn.
Wanderin Boy moved his mark to 4-3-1-0, with earnings of $121,190. This was
the colt’s stakes debut.
Bred in the Bluegrass State, the winner is out of the multiple stakes-winning Vid Kid (Pleasant Colony), a producer of multiple Grade 3 hero Early Warning
(Summer Squall), Grade 2-placed Vivid Sunset (Mt. Livermore) and an unraced
three-year-old colt named Foster (Coronado’s Quest).