Bricks and Mortar Makes Surprise Start in Muniz

One would have been forgiven if, after Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway)'s scintillating victory in the inaugural GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S., they assumed the next stop for the ultra-talented grass specialist would be in Dubai or even at Royal Ascot. Instead, the 5-year-old has popped up as a rare starter for trainer Chad Brown at Fair Grounds and will go off as a prohibitive favorite in Saturday's GII Muniz Memorial H. on the GII Louisiana Derby undercard.

Opening his career in 2017 with four consecutive victories, including conquests of the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. and Manila S., the dark bay was picked off when third in the GIII Saranac S. and GIII Hill Prince S. Then the injury bug struck, and Bricks and Mortar went unseen for over 14 months. Returning in a Gulfstream allowance Dec. 22, he showed no rust, unleashing his trademark closing kick to get up by a half-length and earn a career-best 102 Beyer. He improved that highwater mark to 106 when flying late to capture the Pegasus Turf Jan. 26. Since that big score, the Klaravich Stables and Bill Lawrence colorbearer has breezed six times at Brown's Palm Meadows base, capped by an easy half-mile spin in :49 1/5 (15/53) Mar. 16.

While Bricks and Mortar is a likely winner, the field he meets contains some legitimate turf animals, headlined by horse-for-the-course and defending Muniz champion Synchrony (Tapit). Four-for-four over the New Orleans sod, the chestnut added the GIII Fair Grounds H., GIII Oceanport S. and GIII Red Bank S. to his trophy case in addition to the Muniz last term. Finishing his campaign with a seventh in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile S. and a third in the GII Seabiscuit H., he returned from a brief freshening to repeat in the Fair Grounds H. Feb. 16.

Inspector Lynley (Lemon Drop Kid) goes for his second straight graded stakes win in this local debut. Victor of the restricted Lure S. last summer at Saratoga, the 6-year-old went winless in his next three starts, but resurfaced to annex the GIII Tampa Bay S. last out Feb. 9, an event he also captured in 2017. Divisidero (Kitten's Joy) was second, beaten a half-length that day, and looks to get back to the peak form that earned him back-to-back scores in the GI Turf Classic S. in 2016 and 2017 at Churchill Downs. His lone success last term came in the GIII Arlington H., where he bested Synchrony.