You are here
Horse Racing: Grasshopper Blows Away Field In Mineshaft Handicap
Grasshopper lost to Street Sense in the Travers Stakes (above), but earned rebounded to win his first graded stakes race Saturday. (AP Images)
By far the most impressive horse at the Mineshaft Handicap (Gr. III) at Fair Grounds on Saturday was Grasshopper, the 4-year-old who earned his first graded stakes victory. Stonehouse, the long shot, was setting the speed with Island Warrior and Silver Lord trailing behind. However, Grasshopper got a perfect fit in fourth on the rail under Robby Albarado.
The order didn’t seem to change much throughout the race, but when the horses hit the top of the stretch, Stonehouse lost the lead briefly to Magna Graduate. Silver Lord took his chance but failed as Grasshopper slid to a 2.5-length lead and a final time of 1:43:46.
Grasshopper was favored at odds of 7/2 and paid out $4.80, $2.80, and $2.20. Grasshopper was bred in Kentucky and is best known from the Travers Stakes last year (Gr. I), where he obtained the second-place photo finish with Street Sense.