'TDN Rising Star' Mourinho (Super Saver) ships back into Arkansas from his Santa Anita home base to contest Monday's GIII Southwest S. and attempt to maintain trainer Bob Baffert's domination of the Oaklawn leg of the Triple Crown trail. The $625,000 OBS March acquisition was a debut winner at Santa Anita Sept. 30, but settled for second in both the Speakeasy S. Oct. 15 and GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 11. He put it all together with a 3 1/4-length front-running romp in the local Smarty Jones S. Jan. 15 for which he earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. Combatant (Scat Daddy) completed the exacta.
Combatant is one of four entered here for two-time Southwest-winning trainer Steve Asmussen, but Principe Guilherme (Tapit) will scratch after finishing a disappointing seventh in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. Combatant was second in Remington's Springboard Mile S. behind Greyvitos (Malibu Moon), who had upended Mourinho in the Bob Hope. 'Rising Star' Retirement Fund (Eskenedereya) has done nothing wrong thus far in two career appearances. He aired by 7 1/4 lengths first up in New Orleans Dec. 22, and more or less reproduced that effort against winners Jan. 20. Zing Zang (Tapit), one of the few closers in a race seemingly overflowing with early pace players, came on much too belatedly for fourth in the Lecomte.
Baker and Mack's Sporting Chance (Tiznow) also garnered the 'Rising Star' distinction when he broke his maiden second out at the Spa in July over a field that included Ezmosh (Tizway). He's been off since ducking out but holding on to annex the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 4, but has been flattered just the same since then. Runner-up Free Drop Billy (Union Rags) cruised in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, while fourth finisher Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior) took the GI Hopeful S.
The connections of Road to Damascus (Pioneerof the Nile) won this race last year with One Liner (Into Mischief), and celebrated a romping victory with Audible (Into Mischief) in the GII Holy Bull S. a couple weeks ago. Todd Pletcher-trained Road to Damascus was fourth behind well-regarded stablemate Impact Player (City Zip) on debut at Gulfstream Dec. 13, then broke through on the stretch out when shipped to Tampa Jan. 14.
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