2016 Texas Mile Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas will be the scene of the Grade 3 Texas Mile Stakes on Friday, May 6. A purse of $200,000 will be on the line for horses three years old and upward willing to go one mile on Lone Star's dirt track.

A field of 10 have been confirmed for the Texas Mile - race 5 on Lone Star's Friday schedule. Post time is 8:57 PM. Let's take a peek into the past performances of all 10 combatants for this Grade 3 stakes.

2016 Texas Mile Stakes Race Preview at Lone Star Park

Jessica's Star 5-2 - 2015 Grade 3 Iowa Derby winner in June, 2015 has five wins and four second place finishes in 14 career starts for trainer Michael Stidham. He also won the minor Jim Rasmussen Stakes last May 25 but has been up and down since. Last time out was a fifth in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds March 26 after an OK second in the minor Maxxam Gold Cup at Sam Houston in February and a DNF in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap in June. Jessica's Star has been a tad difficult to figure out but has shown form in the past. Mitchell Murrill will try to get Jessica's Star his first graded stakes score in nearly two years - from post 9 as the morning line favorite.

Carve 3-1 - defending runner-up in this race had three straight wins in the summer of 2014 including the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap he also won the minor Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park in January, 2015. He has placed in just one of five starts since last year's edition of this race and enters off consecutive seventh place finishes at Oaklawn Park - the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap April 16 and the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap March 19. Before that was a third in the minor Essex Handicap in February and off-the-board finishes in two stakes races. Carve looks to bounce back from an unflattering skid and for his first win in 16 months when he leaves from post 3 with Iram Vargas Diego aboard the morning line second choice.

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Blue Tone 5-1 - Robert Hess trained gelding has 18 career starts with five wins, four seconds and two third place finishes. He made his graded stakes debut in November, 2014 and finished a very respectable second in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar and followed that with another good result - a third behind Hoppertunity in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita January 10, 2015. He won the competitive listed Santana Mile here March 29 but has placed in just one of his last four starts - a second last time out in the minor Santana Mile at Santa Anita April 2 followed a sixth in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap on that track in June and consecutive fourths - in the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes last May 2 and the Grade 2 Californian four weeks late. He also posted consecutive wins at Del Mar in 2014 - the overnight Harry F. Brubaker Stakes and an Allowance Optional Claiming. Blue Tone hopes for his first graded stakes score but enters in less-than-spectacular form. He leaves gate 4 with James Graham in the irons.

Shotgun Kowboy 8-1 - CR Trout trained gelding has six wins, a second and a third place finish in 11 career starts. He posted three consecutive impressive wins last summer including the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in September and the minor Oklahoma Classics Cup in October but has failed to place in three starts since. Last time out was a fourth in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park March 19 after a fifth in the minor Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at Fair Grounds in February and a seventh in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs in November. Shotgun Kowboy has been impressive in the past and hopes to snap an ugly three-race streak from post 5 Friday. Jareth Loveberry rides.

Hip Four Sixtynine 8-1 - multiple stakes winner and defending runner-up in this race finished fifth last time out in the minor Opening Verse Stakes at Churchill Downs way back on May 30 - his only start since last year's edition of this race. He had a fifth in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland April 4, 2015, a third in the minor King Cotton Stakes in February of that year and a win in the minor Fremont Stakes at Delta Downs in January of 2015. Hip Four Sixtynine hits the track for the first time in nearly a year - pretty hard to know what t expect. He now has five wins, four seconds and four third place finishes in 25 career starts and will have Garrett Steinberg guiding him from post 7.

Great Minds 10-1 - Albert Stall trained gelding will race in graded stakes company for the first time Friday having posted four wins, three seconds and a third place finish in 18 career starts. He enters in career best form - a win last time out in the minor Borgata Stakes March 12 followed an Allowance score February 5 - both results at Delta Downs. He did fail to place in his previous six starts however. Great Minds will try to keep his current roll going Friday from the rail with CJ McMahon in the saddle.

Aces High 10-1 - has 20 career starts for trainer Steve Margolis with three wins, five seconds and three third place finishes. He makes his stakes debut Friday off an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Evangeline April 6, and consecutive seconds in Allowance races at Delta Downs in February. Hard Aces has been trending upward for sure but makes a huge step up in competition - from gate 2 with Eddie Martin Jr. guiding him.

Gotham News 12-1 - Phil D'Amato pupil has just two wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 14 career starts. He makes his stakes debut Friday off a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Keeneland April 15 and off-the-board finishes in four straight Allowance Optional Claiming races in California. Gotham News hasn't been all that impressive and makes a huge step up in competition from gate 6 with David Cabrera in the reins.

Wolf Man Rocket 15-1 - WT Howard trained colt has a win and four second place finishes in nine career starts. He won the minor Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park April 11, 2015 and went on to a fifth in the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park last May 9. He enters off a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Oaklawn Park March 19 after consecutive runner-up finishes in Allowance races on that track earlier this year. He tries for his first stakes score and enters in so-so form. Lindey Wade has been scheduled to ride from gate 8.

Endurance 30-1 - stakes placed Joshua Sepulveda trained gelding has 27 career starts with eight wins, four seconds and three third place finishes. He finishes fourth in the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap here last May and has won three of four starts since with an eighth place finishes sandwiched in there - all Allowance races. Endurance arrives in career best form but looks as though he'll be in over his head from gate 10 Friday. Danny Storenson is scheduled to ride.

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2016 Texas Mile Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 5 on Lone Star Park's Friday card with a Post Time of 9:57 PM.