Coalport Seeks Fifth Straight in Mervin Muniz

Ken and Sarah Ramsey, arguably the most ubiquitous presence in U.S. grass stakes, are back again, as they send out their Kitten's Joy   homebred Coalport in the $300,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. IIT) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots March 28.

The 6-year-old Illinois-bred, trained by Mike Maker, is riding a four-race winning streak on grass, at Louisiana Downs, Keeneland Racetrack, Hawthorne Race Course, and Sam Houston Race Park, and he will now try for his fifth consecutive victory at five different racetracks, four of them in stakes.

Coalport carries topweight of 121 pounds in the 1 1/8-mile test and will concede four to nine pounds to his six opponents. Miguel Mena, who was aboard in his last start, the John B. Connelly Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Sam Houston, will be back in the saddle and will break from the far outside.

A winner of nine of his 23 career starts, Coalport likes to run on or just off the pace, and he likely will have to concede the lead to Chocolate Ride, who is coming off a wire-to-wire score in the Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) Feb. 21 and will break from the rail under Joe Talamo with116 pounds. The Fair Grounds Handicap was the son of Candy Ride  ’s first stakes appearance in 11 career starts and he was allowed to set leisurely fractions at odds of 13-1, winning by 1 3/4 lengths.

There are several other classy horses entered in the Muniz, including the 7-year-old English-bred Slumber, who has been right there with the best grass horses in the country and is coming off a nose defeat to Mshawish in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) Feb. 7. Trained by Chad Brown, Slumber has placed in top races such as last year’s grade II Pan American Handicap and Mac Diarmida Stakes, and was a close fourth in the grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and Hollywood Derby. The son of Cacique gets in the Muniz with 116 pounds and will be ridden by Alan Garcia.

Todd Pletcher will be represented Divine Oath, winner of last December’s William L. McKnight Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park, and most recently was fifth in the Mac Diarmida, beaten three lengths by dual Eclipse champion Main Sequence.

Completing the field are Potomac River, winner of last year’s Fair Grounds Handicap; Highball, fourth in this year’s Fair Grounds Handicap; and Paroled, winner in three of his last four starts in allowance and high-priced claiming company.